


Itiner

by The_shadows_of_my_mind



Category: X-Men, X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: AU, And Emma's a bitch, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Child!Charles, Family Feels, Family Relationship - Freeform, Gen, Mentions of past abuse, Nazis, Protective!Erik, Shaw is a jackass, World War 2, father/son relationship, in progress, powers, soldier!Erik
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-23
Updated: 2016-01-17
Packaged: 2018-02-21 09:56:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 22,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2464094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_shadows_of_my_mind/pseuds/The_shadows_of_my_mind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Post World War Two, former Nazi prisoner Erik Lehnsherr decides he wants to take matters into his own hands, and hunt down the men who tortured him and his family. It is on the way to killing one of these men when he happens upon Charles, a child left an orphan by the War. When he realizes the boy has talents such as his own, Erik knows he can't leave the boy on his own. During their journey across England, a bond forms between the two, and they soon finds themselves in deeper trouble than they had originally thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Kingston Upon Hull

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, so. Just a heads up before anybody starts reading this. I do not have a beta for anything but my Star Trek stories, so you'll have to forgive any grammatical or formatting mistakes there are. Anyone who's interested in beta-ing, and it willing to read a vast array of things, please let me know. A way to contact me is through my tumblr at my-angel-cant-fly.
> 
> (Also, itiner [the title] is Latin for journey, march, etc)

The city of Kingston upon Hull was demolished. No other word could cover the sheer destruction wrought by the recent bombings. As a port town, it was a dangerous beacon for the Germans during the war. Restoration had been put on hold in favor of the continuation of the war effort. It was only now, in December of 1945, that people had begun to trickle back in and re-build what was left of their homes.

The sun was setting, casting long shadows among the skeletal houses. Two men huddled around a low flame, hands extended towards the minimal warmth it let off. One turned away, fiddling with a small, warped steel ring.

“I can’t get it to light.” He grunted. The other looked up and frowned before leaning in to assess the problem.

A stranger appeared, his blackened figure silhouetted by the setting sun. Both drifters however,  were too focused on their task and completely oblivious to his presence; to the slight twitch of his hands. Sparks suddenly flew up from the steel ring, lighting one of the men’s beards on fire.

“Shit!” He cried out, desperately trying to beat out the fire. The other jumped up to help him, frantically reaching out as the smell of burning hair was picked up by the wind.

The stranger kept walking, his shark like grin scaring off any who took notice of him. He couldn’t have anyone distracting him, not when he was so close to his goal. He’d been following the man for months, and he wasn’t about to lose track of him now that he was almost on top of him. He could still hear the two men shouting behind him, cursing loudly into the cool evening.

“Idiots…” He muttered, glancing around before adjusting his bag. He winced as the guns inside shifted and clanked together, making a mental note to clean everything and put it away properly when he stopped for the night. But there was still a long way to go before then.

He pulled out his map of the area and studied it a moment before nodding and quickly stuffing it back into his pocket. He could make it to the next town over if nothing got in his way. He took a brief pause to look around the barren town, shaking his head in disappointment. These people had done nothing to deserve the tragedy, and yet the bombs had found them rather than some important city or munitions factory.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Erik started down the street again, head tucked against the growing wind. He stepped out into the village square, pausing again to look around. He didn’t like open spaces like this, they made him feel too open, too exposed. He reached to his waist, fingers curling around the small pistol that was hidden under his long coat. Cold grey eyes swept the area, searching out anything that seemed out of place. He relaxed once he deemed the are clear, and let his hand fall away from his gun, settling by his side once again.

He started across the square, still on the lookout for anything or anyone that may try to jump out at him. He was almost to the opposite side when he heard something shift behind him. Without hesitation, he turned, gun leveled.

“Who’s there?” He demanded, voice low and rough. The only response he got was the faint echo of his shout around the square. He grit his teeth, looking around with narrowed eyes before slowly straightening up and slipping the gun away. Maybe he’d stop sooner than anticipated that night. There was no way hearing things was healthy. He took one last, long look around the square, his eyes lingering briefly on a large pile of rubble before he turned sharply and started down one of the narrower streets.

It was not ten steps later that Erik heard the noise once more; the faint patterning of shoes on stone. Again he turned, ready to call out whoever was following him. What he saw made him pause in confusion, the threat dying in his throat.

A small boy, who couldn’t have been more than six was crouched in the middle of the street, hands covering his eyes with his head ducked. Erik tilted his head slightly, cautiously making his way over. The boy didn’t react past his fingers twitching slightly. Erik watched him a moment, glancing around before shaking his head.

No one in their right mind would let their child wander along in a town like this, he thought, His parents are bound to be nearby. He cast one last glance to the child before starting on his way again, muttering crossly to himself. If he didn’t have something much more important to do, he would have hunted down the boy’s parents himself. But there were better things to worry about at the moment, so the child would have to find his own way home.

He had barely made it around the corner when the footsteps started up again, almost running to try and catch up. Erik turned and ducked just out of sight, watching with a small frown as the boy careened around the corner and skidded to a stop, looking around with wide blue eyes.

“Looking for someone?” Erik couldn’t help but ask, stepping out of his hiding place. The boy gasped and quickly dropped down again, covering his eyes once more. Erik raised an eyebrow and chuckled despite himself, stepping in front of the boy and looking down at him. The child peeked up through his fingers for a second before covering his eyes once again with a soft gasp. Erik stood over him for a moment before huffing and hunkering down next to him.

“What are you doing?” He asked bluntly. The boy once more peeked up, frowning in confusion when he realized that his little hiding trick wasn’t working with this man. He shifted and sat on the ground, legs extended out in front of him.

“Following you.”

Erik blinked in surprise and leaned back, watching the boy. The child didn’t seem frightened, staring up at the man with bright blue eyes.

“And why are you following me?”

“Because you’re the only person around.” The boy once again replied without hesitation. Erik shook his head and stood up, quickly turning away from the boy.

“I’m not. You’d best get back to your parents, it’s getting late.” He said, scowling up at the darkening sky. He was losing valuable time, but he couldn’t bear to simply walk away from the child. There was something endearing about those too blue eyes and childish face.

The boy seemed ready to protest, scrambling to his feet and racing after Erik, tugging urgently on his sleeve.

“You can’t go!” He pleaded, tears already welling in his eyes. Erik looked down and huffed, pulling his sleeve away from the boy and growling down at him.

“I have better things to do than worry about lost little boys!” He snapped, turning quickly as the boy stumbled back in surprise. There was a stiff silence between them for a moment, Erik glaring down at him, and the boy returning the glare with a trembling lip. Erik broke the silence first, waving a hand sharply.

“Off with you!” He snapped, his voice jolting the child out of his thoughts. He didn’t leave, however. The command only seemed to make him more persistent, reaching up to latch onto Erik’s sleeve again.

“No! You can’t make me!” The boy didn’t seem willing to release Erik’s arm, clinging tightly to the man even as he tried to shake him loose. “I know what you are!”

This made Erik freeze, his entire body going rigid. He looked down to the boy, eyes wide and puzzled as he tried to figure out just what he had meant. Those blue eyes gave nothing away, however. The boy continued to glare up at him, tiny hands fisted in the rough material of his jacket. There was a silence between the two of them, heavy and unsure. Erik finally pulled away, shaking his head. He didn’t speak, simply took off running down the street. And try as he might, the little boy simply couldn’t keep up, and lost him a few blocks later.

Once he was sure he had lost the boy, Erik finally paused to catch his breath. One look at the sky told him all he needed to know. He’d wasted too much time with that child, and it wasn’t safe to wander the country-side and night, even if he did have a vast array of guns hidden about his person. With a small grumble, he made his way into one of the more sturdy looking buildings to set up his camp for the night.

After lighting his fire, he idly spun his coin round his fingers, watching as the firelight glinted off of the scratched metal surface. He sighed heavily and reclined, resting his back against the wall and closing his eyes. Tomorrow would be different; he’d actually manage to make some progress, rather than waste his time trying to get rid of a lost child.

I wasn’t lost. Erik jumped at the voice, looking around with a low growl. There was no one around, surely he would have heard them. He pushed himself up and walked into the street again, gun once more held loosely at his side. He looked around, checking all the nearby buildings as he tried to figure out where the voice had come from.

Once he’d deemed the area clear, he shook his head and retreated to the building he was using as his camp. He settled by his little fire again, staring at the flames before sighing softly and closing his eyes. He was overly tired, that was it. The voice had just been his mind working too hard for too long. He needed to sleep. He’d feel better after a good nights rest, and he hoped the voice wouldn’t come back for a long time. 


	2. Communication

_The images wouldn’t leave, flashing through his mind on an endless loop. Gates screeching as they bent, the rain doing nothing to muffle the sound. A gunshot. A mother on the ground, a pool of blood spreading around her head and creating a gruesome halo. Skeletons with skin stretched tight over bones walking the yard, the cries of the dying ringing day and night. The smells of decaying bodies simply pushed to the side, or the ashes of those cremated, whether or not they were dead._

_A coin, catching the light as it turned slowly in the air._

Erik jolted awake, breath catching in his throat and fingers scrabbling against the splintered floor. He looked around in a wild panic, eyes hazed with the last remnants of his dream and heart pounding in his chest as he tried to calm himself down. He closed his eyes again and took a deep, shuddering breath, holding it in for a brief moment before letting it out in a rush of air. His heart slowed, his fingers stilling once more at his sides.

 _Just a dream_ , he thought as he shook his head and sat up, _It was just a dream_.

“A very painful dream.” Came a small voice from across the room. Erik jumped once again, pulling his pistol free and aiming at the source of the voice. He paused and groaned, letting his hands fall back to his lap. The same boy from the night before sat on a fallen beam, hands cupped to the sides of his head and a small frown on his face.

“What are you doing here?” Erik demanded, neglecting to ask how the boy even knew about his dream. Perhaps he’d been thrashing, or talking. Many people he’d run into had told him he did those things and more. The boy simply stared at him, slowly letting his hands fall back to his sides and sitting up a little straighter.

“I wanna go with you.”

Erik rolled his eyes and pushed himself to his feet, carefully putting his gun away. “No.” He said, not turning to face the child. Even if he had found the child more than slightly endearing, he wouldn’t have brought him for the fear of the child getting injured. The boy didn’t seem to share this concern though, jumping down from the beam and hurrying over to once more grab hold of Erik’s pant leg.

“Why not?” The boy demanded as he nearly ran to keep up with Erik’s long strides, shoes echoing loudly on the cobbled streets. Erik stopped walking and looked down to the boy, his eyes darkening slightly.

“Because a child should not be in the presence of a man such as myself. Now go, return to your parents.” He said, getting ready to run again. The boy stood quietly, finally having released his hold on Erik’s trousers, arms now folded over his chest.

“Can’t.”

“Why ever not?” Erik sighed, expecting some childish answer like ‘Because they’re stupid!’ or ‘I don’t wanna!’, not what he got.

“They’re dead.” Erik stiffened and looked down to the boy, who was returning his gaze with a calmness far too mature for his age. Of course, why had he thought otherwise? It wasn’t just his world that had been torn apart, there had been others who had suffered some of the same fates as himself. He sighed and carefully knelt in front of the boy, looking across to him.

“I cannot take you with me. My life is far more dangerous that what you have here.” He said, voice much gentler than he had been expecting. The boy pouted and folded his arms over his chest defiantely.

“No, no it isn’t!” He insisted, shaking his head so that his curly hair flapped in his face. “I know what you are! You can keep me safe!” Erik couldn’t believe the words coming out of the boy’s mouth, never mind the bright smile he was now wearing. The man stood and shook his head, thoughts now a blurred jumble as he backed away from the insistent child. He bared his teeth almost in a snarl straightened up to his full height.

“And what am I?” He growled, voice low and dangerous.

“Like me!” The boys voice chirped, but his lips did not move. Erik staggered back in shock, eyes widening as the boy continued to watch him expectantly. The boy’s expectant expression soon fell, as he realized perhaps he’d done something wrong. Erik continued to back towards the door, his hand drifting down to his gun without permission.

“You...You’re a…”

“Like you!” The boy said again, somewhat desperately. Erik stared at him a moment more before he shook his head, a little more violently than was necessary.

“No….no, you are far from what I am.” He said, voice much softer and shaky than what he would have liked. When the boy seemed ready to move closer, to protest once again, Erik snapped. “Get away!” He shouted, almost pushing the boy over in his frantic attempt to get away. “Leave!”

The boy staggered back in surprise, the hope in his too blue eyes fading into despair. Fat tears bubbled up before pouring down his cheeks. He trudged over to Erik and stomped on his foot, the blow barely noticeable to the shaken man.

“You’re a twat!” The boy cried, swatting angrily at his tears before racing out of the building and into the street. Erik stood with his back pressed against the wall, hands clenched at his sides and a cold chill running through his body. That boy...How, how had he known?

“No...No, don’t think about it.” He muttered to himself, shakily moving off the wall and gathering up his few belongings. “You have important things to do...Don’t let a child get to you.” Within moments he had packed up his guns, and scattered the ashes of his tiny fire. He stepped out into the streets and scowled up at the light rain that had began to fall. One thing he hated about England was it’s damn weather, always cold and raining. Not that he was a fan of bright, sunny days, but the constant damp chill was enough to put a damper on anyone’s spirits.

He trudged reluctantly through the rain, already missing the warmth his fire had provided the night before. The water was slowly sinking into his coat, making his clothing stick uncomfortably to his skin. He grunted and shifted his pack, ducking his head against the growing wind. Something screeched a few streets over, but Erik brushed it off as two pieces of one of the shattered buildings rubbing against one another. It was too faint to draw any real concern from the man anyways. He continued to walk, growing more and more miserable as the rain fell harder and harder.

He was debating pulling out a cigarette to distract himself when he heard the sound again. Only this time, it sounded more like a child’s cry than debri. He stopped in the middle of the street and turned to look around, eyes narrowed against the rain shrouding the streets in a haze. He was about to start walking again when he heard running footsteps and voices getting nearer. Quickly, he ducked into a doorway, back to the voices as he peeked over his shoulder to see what was happening.

It suddenly went quiet, the rain masking any sounds that would have previously echoed through the streets. Erik held his breath, scanning the area with narrowed eyes. He could have sworn he’d heard something, something that hadn’t been just a memory. He remained hidden in the doorway for a moment more before reluctantly stepping out, brushing a hand through his damp hair with a scowl. He reached into his pocket and freed one of the few remaining cigarettes he had left. He’d promised himself he’d quit after this pack, and he was doing his best to make it last. He lit the end with ease, blowing out a puff of smoke as he cast one last look down the street and started on his way again.

In a flurry of movement, a small shape shot between his legs, sending him stumbling off to the side of the road. Two men raced after the blur, their shouts echoing through the streets as all three vanished around the corner. Erik frowned and followed carefully after, unsure as to why he even bothered. He kept far enough behind the men that it wouldn’t be obvious he was following, but he wanted to keep them at least within earshot. He paused at the corner and peeked round, frowning slightly as one of the men hoisted up a small boy...the same boy that had been there when he had woken up that morning.

Erik cursed and was ready to turn away when he heard the boy cry out. He looked back, eyes narrowing and a low growl rumbling in his chest when he saw the man holding the boy had struck him, leaving an angry red mark on the sobbing child’s cheek. Without thought, Erik turned the corner and cleared his throat.

“Is something the matter here, gentlemen?” He asked, voice cool and calm. The two men turned, puzzled by the figure’s sudden appearance.

“Little street rat jus’ stole one of our wallets.” The man further away replied. Erik raised an eyebrow and nodded, hands tucked into his pockets, for the moment.

“So you believe you have the rights to strike him?”

“Course! Thieves, no matter ‘ow little deserve what’s comin’ to ‘em!” The other man replied, almost proudly. The boy sniffled and tried to wiggle free, only to receive another slap. Erik stiffened at his yelp, slowly withdrawing his hands from his pockets.

“Even a child who is struggling to survive?” He asked, raising one hand. The man frowned as the buttons on his jacket began to tremble and tug against their places. “A child who has lost their family to senseless violence?” The man paused as he felt himself being lifted by the button, barely hovering so that the tips of his boots barely brushed the ground. He’d dropped the child by this point, eyes wide and attention focused on the man slowly walking towards them. The child scurried to stand behind Erik, hands resting lightly on his legs as he watched with a tilted head.

“Now, I’m going to put you down, alright?” Erik said, speaking slowly and carefully. “And you’re just going to walk away, is that clear?”

“I ain’t goin’ anywhere till that brat gives me my wallet back!” The man growled, thrashing to try to free himself from his jacket and pointing to the boy. Erik growled and raised his hand more, causing the man to hover farther off the ground.

“The child does not have to return anything to you. I believe whatever in your wallet is now compensation for whatever trauma you caused the poor thing.” The boy still hiding behind him nodded quickly, fighting back his smile and trying his best to look intimidating, though he only came off as mildly annoyed.

The suspended man growled and nodded slowly. “Alright, fine.” He spat after a long silence, and Erik let him fall without much grace. The taller man stuck his hands back into his pockets and smiled darkly, the image more reminiscent of a shark rather than a man as he offered out a hand to the boy by his leg. The boy took the hand with a smirk and followed behind the man with almost a proud strut.

A few streets over Erik stopped, kneeling in front of the boy and looking over him carefully, making sure he was uninjured.

“Are you alright?” He asked softly, looking up to meet bright blue eyes. The boy nodded and smiled reassuringly.

“They didn’t do anything, if that’s what you’re wondering.” He murmured, shrugging slightly. Erik nodded and relaxed, settling back onto the street and watching the boy curiously. There was silence between the two of them, but it was comfortable.

“Do you have a name?” Erik asked, a dumb question but valid none the less. The boy giggled and nodded, hopping up to sit on a fallen beam.

“Of course I do!” He giggled, looking over to Erik. The man blinked in surprise, then bit back a smile.

“And might I have the privilege of knowing what it is?”

The boy thought for a moment, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. Erik couldn’t help but feel anxious, waiting for the boy’s decision.

“Charles,” He spoke at last, smiling warmly. “Charles Xavier.”


	3. By the Fire

“Charles, for God’s sake eat the damn latkes!”

“They look weird!”

“They are fried potatoes, Charles!” Erik groaned in exasperation, rolling his eyes and putting the plate he’d been trying to pass off to the child in front of him for the past half hour. The latkey sat limply now, cold and untouched, but that wasn’t about to stop him. He couldn’t understand why this boy refused to eat something so simple. It wasn’t as if it smelt odd, and while it was much less than what Erik was used to, it was a hearty dish.

Charles on the other hand sat there, arms crossed defiantly, blue eyes staring obstinately at Erik’s, having none of the situation. They’d left the town not too long after the incident with the two men, and Erik, in his opinion, had been nothing but difficult. The man had taken his time checking the boy over for any hidden injuries before deciding to take him along for at least one night, or at least he found someone else who would take care of the child. Erik seemed incapable of simply listening to Charles. Charles didn't want to go with someone else. He wanted to stay with Erik.

“Make me something else.” Charles said at last, refusing to look at the plate that was sitting in front of him.

“Well we don’t have anything else at the moment.”

“Want something else!” The boy shrieked, causing Erik to jump and cover his ears. He scowled at the boy and picked up the plate, holding it out again.

“Charles, I’m going to say this one more time. Eat your dinner, or else you won’t be getting anything to eat until we leave in the morning.” This seemed to make Charles hesitant, and the boy slowly reached for the plate before drawing away and wrinkling his nose.

“No!” He snapped, nose turned up again. Erik slammed the plate down and growled as he pushed himself to his feet and moved away from the small ring of light cast by their little fire.

“Why must you be so difficult!” He shouted, turning to look back at Charles. The boy was staring back at him with wide eyes, tears already threatening to spill. Erik didn’t notice though, too wrapped up in his own agitation. “All I asked was that you eat one. One simple, measly, little latke!”

Charles sniffled softly and wiped his eyes, looking down to his hands. Erik stared at him and clenched his hands, growling softly and shaking his head. Without warning, the metal at the camp began to rattle and shake, a fork even lifting off the plate it had been resting on. Charles shrunk away, eyes widening before he lost it and began to bawl. Fat tears rolled down his cheeks and he threw his hands up to cover his face. Erik immediately froze, the camp falling silent save for the boy’s sobbing.

“Charles...Charles, I’m sorry.” He said softly, making his way over and kneeling in front of the boy. He took the boy’s small hands and looked up, trying and failing to sooth the sobbing boy. He didn’t know why he felt to guilty, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t done worse to others. But something about Charles, how the boy seemed to put all of his trust into someone he’d only just met, and knew next to nothing about.

Eventually the boy settled down, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand and staring at the fire. He refused to look at Erik, even when the man offered to try and find something else for the boy to eat. Charles simply shook his head and sat still, sniffling softly to himself. Erik sighed and moved away, once more standing outside of the warmth radiating from the fire.

While his back was turned, Charles looked up and chewed his lip before leaning forward to take the plate with the latkes. He sniffed them curiously before taking a hesitant bite. He hummed in surprise, the noise barely reaching the air as he tucked into the surprisingly good meal. Erik was unaware of the boy’s actions, and was surprised when he heard a small voice speak up behind him.

“Done.”

He turned with a puzzled frown, tilting his head. Charles sat up, holding out the empty plate with a tiny smile. Erik blinked in surprise before he chuckled, shaking his head as he walked over and took the plate.

“Was that so hard?” He asked. Charles shook his head and looked down to his hands, worrying his lower lip between his teeth.

“They were good.” The boy murmured, almost regretfully. “I...I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.” Erik set the plate down again and once more settled in front of the boy.

“And I’m sorry I frightened you. It was not my intention.”

Charles frowned and reached up, tiny arms wrapping around Erik’s neck in a hug. Erik stiffened in surprise, nearly throwing the boy up and over his shoulder before he caught himself and forced himself still.

“It’s okay.” Charles said softly, yawning into Erik’s neck and nuzzling down. “I know you didn’t mean it.”

Erik frowned in confusion, hesitantly wrapping his arms around the boy and standing up. He didn’t understand how Charles could be so forgiving, but knew now wasn’t the time to ask about it. Instead, he carried the boy over to his sleeping roll and carefully tucked him in.

“Sleep well, Charles. We’ll be off again in the morning.” 


	4. Memories

Erik woke early the next morning, making sure to scatter the remains of their little fire before packing up the few items he’d left around camp the night before. He looked down to Charles, who was still sound asleep in the sleeping roll far too large for his tiny body. Erik didn’t want to wake the boy, but he was already almost a day behind his original schedule and couldn’t afford to waste anymore time. Reluctantly he knelt beside the sleeping child and lightly shook his shoulder, earning an annoyed whine.

“Charles, get up. We need to leave now.” He said gently, and in a voice that surprised him. He rarely spoke, but when he did it was not gentle. Never the less, he shook his head and brushed the gentleness off as a product of being around Charles. His attention returned to the boy, Erik once more shook his shoulder and sighed. “Charles, now.”

The boy grumbled and scrubbed at his eyes, rolling over and shivering as the cool morning air slipped into the warm cocoon of the sleeping roll. He clutched the edge of the roll tightly, forcing the slight gap shut and whining once again.

“Don’t wanna get up.” He grumbled, pulling the roll up to his ears and closing his eyes again. Erik couldn’t help but smile at the endearing action, thankful that Charles couldn’t see him. He’d spent years perfecting his stoney exterior, and he’d be damned if some child shattered it.

“We’ve spent enough time here, Charles. We need to move.” Erik said after a moment, drawing back the edge of the roll and earning a squeaked protest from the curled up child beneath. He looked down and sighed heavily, scooping the boy up and setting him on his feet. “There’s a plate sitting by my bags. Eat up, we won’t be resting until noon.”

Charles glanced over at the plate and sighed, wrapping his arms around himself and stamping over to pick it up and plop down on the ground to eat. Erik occupied himself by packing up the sleeping roll and the few last minute items he’d left out while Charles slept. He’d already eaten a slight breakfast, not having the stomach for anything large. This was not the case for Charles though, who after he finished set the plate down and looked expectantly up to Erik.

“I’m still hungry.”

“We don’t have time for you to eat anything else, Charles.” Erik sighed, shouldering his pack and looking around them, trying to remember what direction he’d been walking in the day before. Charles pouted behind him, but none the less carefully scraped the crumbs off of his plate and set it in one of the smaller bags, which he then shouldered.

“Where are we going?”

“Manchester.”

“That’s really far though. Mummy...Mummy always took me by train if we ever went.” He said, glancing back over his shoulder at the barely visible ruins of the village. The boy sniffled softly and rubbed his eyes, shaking his head and facing forward again. Erik looked down to him and placed a gentle and on the boy’s shoulder, thumb brushing gently over the worn fabric.

“I know it is, but we have no other choice.” The man said, steering Charles back onto the path and following behind. “If we get to a town in time to catch a train, then we’ll take one.” This seemed to settle the boy down, and he nodded with a smile.

“Alright, that seems fair.” Charles said, kicking at a pebble as he walked, the bag with the plates and pans clattering loudly with his bouncing steps. Several times Erik tried to reach down and pry the bag from the boy’s hands, only to receive a childish scolding. Eventually he gave up and allowed Charles to do as he pleased.

The hours slowly ticked by, the sun finally breaking through the clouds to dry the earth and warm the two travelers. Erik was unfazed by the walk despite the sun shining in his eyes, having been used to much more in much worse conditions. Charles on the other hand, had barely been able to handle a day of leisurely walking about the town before the bombing, and the march had taken a sudden and harsh toll on the boy.

He set the now impossibly heavy bag down on a drier patch of ground and rested his hands on his knees, taking several deep breaths and trying to stretch out the stitches in his sides and legs. Erik had walked past him, lost in his thoughts. After a moment the man finally noticed that Charles was no longer in front of him, and turned around in confusion.

“I can’t go any further.” Charles said as soon as he was sure Erik was looking at him. The older man sighed and walked the few steps back, picking up the bag before too much mud could soak into the fabric.

“We have another two hours before we can stop for lunch, Charles. You’ll be fine until then.” He said with a small huff. Charles frowned at him and tried to hurry after, whining softly at the pain shooting through his feet.

“I can’t!” The boy insisted, finally managing to grab hold of Erik’s sleeve and tug tightly on it. The man stopped and looked back with a small frown, jerking his sleeve free and growling softly.

“Well you’re going to have to. I have enough to carry without you here. If you can’t keep up, you’re staying behind. Someone else can help you.” The man snapped, patience worn thin. Charles staggered back in surprise and blinked, tilting his head and sniffling. Erik glanced down and rolled his eyes. “Don’t you start with that either. I’ve had just about enough of your sniveling.” He hadn’t even realized just how much he’d begun to sound like Shaw, the words coming as easily as breathing.

Charles stared at him for a moment, hands slowly clenching at his sides as Erik started to walk off. The boy sniffled softly again, feeling something bubbling in his chest.

_Don’t go!_

Erik stumbled in shock, hands flying up to his ears. He looked around frantically, gun already in his hand, though he had no idea when it had gotten there. He spun in place, staggering again as the voice continued to boom in his ears, piercing into his mind and sending him to the ground.

Erik wasn’t sure when the noise had stopped, or how long he’d been curled up on the ground. It took him several moments to realize it had gone quiet again, that the only sound around him was the sounds of birds chirping and a light breeze ruffling the tall grass surrounding the road. Slowly he sat up, hands pressed to the sides of his head to try and stop the throbbing headache that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

“Erik…?”

The man looked up quickly, leveling his gun at the chest of the figure before him. Charles stumbled away in a panic, fresh tears rising in his eyes. The boy quickly turned and scrambled a few feet away before wrapping his arms around himself and staring down at the gun. Erik blinked out of his thoughts and dropped the gun, the weapon clattering to the dirt road. The man moved slowly to Charles, scooping him up and holding the boy close.

“I’m sorry...I’m sorry.” He said softly, rubbing the sobbing child’s back. Charles wiggled for a moment, small hands pressed to Erik’s chest as he tried to push away. Reluctantly the man set the child down and stepped back, hands held up. Charles rocked on his heels for a moment, wiping his eyes before he looked up and walked forward, stooping to pick up the gun before holding it out to Erik. The man hesitantly took the weapon and placed it back in its holster.

“Thank you, Charles.” He muttered, surprised at how shaky his voice had suddenly become. He cleared his throat and straightened up, adjusting the packs on his back before turning down the road. “A little further and then we can stop for lunch, alright?” He asked, a tiny smile tugging at his lips when Charles nodded and hurried to walk alongside him.

“I’m sorry I hurt you.” Charles said suddenly, staring down at the ground and kicking at a pebble. Erik looked down and sighed heavily, hand resting on the strap of one of his packs.

“You must learn to control yourself, Charles. I know you didn’t mean to, but you could have done much more than you intended.”

Charles bit his lip and looked up, wringing his hands in front of himself. He was silent and Erik nearly lost himself in his thoughts before the boy looked up and spoke.

“I know, and I try but...I thought you were going to hurt me.”

Erik stopped and looked down to the boy with a tilted head. He knew he could be frightening, but he never realized it was that bad. Of course he’d hurt many people before, but never a child. Children and women were the two people Erik had sworn he’d never hurt unless it was the only option, and even then it was debatable. Once more he set the packs down and knelt beside the boy, hands going up to rest on slim shoulders.

“I would never, Charles. Surely you must know that.” He said, a hint of desperation creeping into his voice. He couldn’t have the one person who knew what he was and wasn’t terrified, or wasn’t going to use him for just his powers leave. Especially when that person was a child who apparently had no one and no where to go.

“I do but...I can’t help it.”

“Why can’t you, Charles?”

The boy was quiet for several moments before he let out a shuddering breath and looked down. “It’s nothing.”

“Charles…”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” The boy snapped, stamping his foot and turning away to sulk. Erik blinked in surprise and tilted his head, watching the child for a moment before sighing and reaching out to him again.

“Charles, please. I only want to help you.” The words tasted foreign in his mouth, and Erik hadn’t even realized he’d said them until after Charles had turned to look at him with wide eyes. He’d meant the words, of course but he never thought he’d say them out loud. For all the boy knew, Erik was just going to get him to the next town and leave him with whichever woman seemed fit to take care of a six-year old boy with a gift. Erik hadn’t even realized Charles had begun to talk until the boy tugged at his sleeve with a small whine.

“You aren’t listening to me.”

“I’m sorry Charles. Start again?”

The boy bit his lip, suddenly still and quiet. Erik frowned in concern and settled down in front of him, ignoring the mud seeping into his trousers.

“Charles…”

“I don’t want to tell you.” The boy said at last, looking up with wide eyes. Erik clenched his hands at his sides and sighed heavily, getting ready to stand again before Charles grabbed his arm. “But I can show you.” Skeptical as he was, Erik nodded.

“Alright, but make it quick please. We need to move.”

Charles frowned at him and hesitated before raising a small hand to rest two fingers to Erik’s temple. The man flinched away at the touch at first, uncertainty in his eyes before he leaned forward again and allowed Charles to do as he pleased.

There was silence between the two of them before images began flashing through Erik’s mind. At first they were too fast to see, only flashes of moments and feelings. After a moment the images slowed, moving just slow enough for Erik to make out some words.

_Freak._

_Abomination._

_The only reason I’m letting you stay is because of your mother you little brat._

Erik frowned at the words, and even though he couldn’t make out the images flying past his eyes, he knew they were directed at Charles. Things that were very similar were said to him, in almost the exact same voice. As soon as Erik had begun to drift off, a sudden sharp pain flashed through his mind, feeling exactly like a strike across the face. The man jolted in surprise, breaking his connection with Charles as he did.

Erik sat, panting in the dirt as he watched the boy sway and stumble, drained from his use of power. Slowly, the man stood and walked over to Charles, scooping the boy into his arms and holding him carefully. Before long, Charles had gone limp, the exhaustion having taken it’s toll on his body. Wordlessly, Erik gathered the rest of the bags and started on his march again, all the while cradling Charles close to his chest and mindlessly rubbing the boy’s back. 


	5. Shielding

_A shadow appeared in the doorway, standing straight against the light filtering from the hall. The small boy shrunk away from the figure, pressing back against the wall. He watched silently as the socked feet walked straight past his hiding place, stopping just out of his sight._

_“Charles. Come out now.” The man’s voice was sickly sweet, but the boy knew better than to go towards it. The silence in the room was shattered when the man turned and kicked over a tower of books that Charles had spent time putting in the proper order._

_“You damn brat! Get out here before I drag you out from whereever you’re hiding you ungrateful little shi-”_

_Charles couldn’t wait for him to finish, and carefully slipped out of his current hiding place. He blinked when he realized the man’s back was to him, and without thinking bolted down the grand stairs of the estate. He was almost to the front door when his absence was finally noticed. The figure appeared at the top of the stairs, face red and livid with anger._

_With one final glance over his shoulder, the boy raced out into the frigid night air._

“Charles...Charles, are you alright?”

The voice was much gentler than that in his dream, and the boy whined in confusion. Erik sighed softly and once more shook the boy’s shoulder. He hated to wake him, especially after his collapse on the road earlier, but the way the child had been tossing and whimpering had begun worry him.

“Charles, come on...Eyes open.”

Finally, the boy looked up and tilted his head, surprised to feel tears still streaming down his cheeks. He stared up at Erik for several moments, trying to figure out why he was out in the middle of the country with a man who was very much not his step-father.

While he sat in quiet contemplation, Erik offered out a plate heaped with food. “There was a farmhouse nearby,” he explained with a small shrug, “I’m sure they won’t miss a few measly things.”

Charles nodded and took the plate, mumbling a ‘thank-you’ before starting to eat. Erik watched him for a moment, unable to help his concern before he sighed and turned away.

“There’s a town nearby...We should reach it by nightfall.” He said, and when he realized Charles wasn’t listening, he lightly nudged the boy’s side. “There’s a train.”

“A train?” Charles repeated, looking up with a small tilt of his head. Erik smiled gently and nodded.

“Yes. We’ll have to spend the night when we arrive, but come morning we can take the first train to Manchester.”

Satisfied with the idea of not having to walk anymore, Charles nodded and seemed to brighten up. He began to hum a childish tune as he ate, occasionally pausing to prod at the dirt beneath himself or to look up at the sky with curiosity. Erik kept a close eye on him, trying to pick the proper moment to bring up the explosion of power that had come out of the boy.

“Charles?”

The boy hummed in acknowledgement and looked up mid-bite, head tilted slightly to the side and cheeks bulging with food. Erik smiled warmly at him and chuckled once more, something he’d been doing more and more recently when with the boy.

“Earlier...Do you….” He paused and cleared his throat, looking up to the boy. “Do you often react like that?”

Charles looked down and bit his lip, bright expression falling quickly. “Never,” he replied with a shake of the head, “that...that’s the first time I’ve ever done that.”

Erik sighed and nodded, moving over and lightly rubbing the boy’s shoulder. “It’s alright, Charles. I’m not upset I...I was simply curious.” Silence fell over the pair again as they both focused on their individual activities; Charles eating and Erik keeping an eye on the road.

“It hurts, you know.” Charles said, in a voice far too mature for one his age. Erik looked over his shoulder at the boy and frowned slightly.

“What hurts?”

“Hearing all of these other voices...I-I can’t hear myself think sometimes. I hear so many bad things and I don’t like it. There are times where I just want it all to stop, where I want nothing to do with it anymore.”

This last statement is what drew Erik back to the boy’s side, kneeling once more beside Charles with his hands on both of the boy’s shoulders.

“No. You don’t. Your gift is something...something incredible, Charles. Do not forsake it.”

“People thought I was crazy,” Charles protested, “they were going to send me off for tests...I don’t like tests.”

Erik stiffened at this, unintentionally digging his nails into Charles’ shoulders. The boy whined in pain and pulled away, reaching up a hand to massage at the fabric. Erik was staring past him, eyes distant as he tried to force back the images of Shaw, of the tools that hung in perfect lines on the wall. It took him several moments to pull himself out of his thoughts, and another minute to realize that he was shaking. Charles was standing by his side, frowning in concern and reaching a hesitant hand out. Erik stood before contact could be made, clearing his throat and shaking his head.

“Well you don’t have to worry about tests now, Charles. There will be none of that while I’m around.” This seemed the calm the boy enough for him to finally agree to get up and help pack up the few things that Erik had removed from his bag when they’ll settled down. Erik paused as he lifted a bag, looking down to Charles with a tilted head.

“You said it hurts, didn’t you? The thoughts of others.”

Charles looked up and nodded slowly, tilting his head slightly at Erik.

“I did, yes.”

Setting down the bag once again, Erik stood in front of Charles and hummed.

“You can hear my thoughts now, correct?” He waited for a nod of confirmation before continuing. “I want you to just think about your own thoughts. Try to focus all of your attention on them, rather than mine. Like you’re trying to drown out a storm outside. I want you to tell me when my thoughts get softer, or when you can’t hear them anymore.”

Charles stared at him before nodding, closing his eyes and tensing up. Erik watched him and shook his head, ruffling the boy’s hair.

“Relax, Charles. Tensing like that won’t help you.”

Again, the boy nodded. His shoulders sagged and he let out a soft puff of air. Erik watched his face, trying to catch some sort of sign that the boy was succeeding. After a moment of silence between the two, Charles let out an irritated growl.

“I can’t do it.” He announced, looking up to Erik with tears in his eyes. “I...I can’t make them stop.”

The older man sighed and scooped Charles into his arm, balancing the boy on his hip as he cast one final look over their brief camp.

“Don’t fret, Charles. You’ll learn to soon enough.” He assured, starting back on the road. Charles sighed and nodded, though it was clear from his expression that he didn’t believe a word of Erik’s reassurance. Never the less, throughout the walk he’d occasionally close his eyes and try to will the only other voice away.

After his fifth attempt, he noticed that Erik’s thoughts had become softer, though they were still just barely audible to the boy. Proud of his success, Charles wiggled in Erik’s arms, only to notice the man’s distant expression. With a small pout, Charles simply rested his head against the man’s shoulder and stared down the way they had come, wondering when they’d finally reach the town Erik had promised.


	6. An Encounter

As Erik had promised, the pair arrived in a small town just as the sun dipped below the horizon. And much to Charles' pleasure, the town had a train station. Of course it was just their luck that they arrived just ten minutes after the last train to Manchester had left the station. This left the duo with a decision, to stay in one of the local inns, or to continue on foot and hope another town was nearby. Due to Charles’ exhaustion, and Erik’s reluctance to force the boy to go any further, they chose to stay in an inn. Or rather, Charles would stay in the inn, and Erik would go out about town to see if he could find out anything useful.

Once he heard about the plan, Charles had what Erik could only describe as a temper tantrum. This was something that he had not been expecting from the boy.

“No! No you can’t go!”

Erik groaned and shook his head, looking down as Charles stamped his feet and scowled up at him.

“Charles, come now. You were falling asleep in my arms not half an hour ago...You won’t even notice I’ve gone.”

“I will! I won’t be able to hear you any more. I don’t want to be alone again!” Charles shouted, eyes brimming with tears. Erik knelt in front of him and shook his head, hands coming up to rest on the boy’s shoulders for what felt like the millionth time.

“You won’t be alone again, Charles. I’ll only be gone for a few hours.” He tried to reason, but the boy was having none of it. Charles wrapped his arms around Erik’s leg and held on for dear life, face buried into the man’s calf. Erik stumbled in surprise and let out a heavy sigh, but knew better than to get upset with Charles, not after what the boy had shown him.

Stooping over to untangle the boy’s fingers, Erik lifted Charles into his arms and held the boy close to his chest. He started to hum as he paced the room, bouncing the boy in his arms. Charles wiggled and squirmed, trying to get free from Erik’s arms. The older mutant kept his hold, continuing to hum and bounce the wriggling child. Slowly, Charles’ movements stilled and his head came to rest against Erik’s shoulder. It only took a moment longer before he was sound asleep.

Erik chuckled  and settled Charles into the bed, tucking the boy in before pulling on his coat and slipping one of his guns into a pocket. He cast one final look at the sleeping child before shutting the door and locking it behind him before heading out into the cool night air.

He paused outside of the inn, hands tucked deep into his pockets. The local pub seemed like the best place to start, so he turned down the cobbled path. Part way there he ducked his head against the cool mist settling over the town, shivering at the chill it gave him. He caught sight of a young woman standing in the shadows, watching him with a curious tilt of her head and smiling when their eyes met. Erik returned the look with a scowl, shaking his head and facing forward again. He had no time for harlots, no matter how lovely she seemed to be.

The pub was comfortably warm compared to the cool air outside, and the change in temperature was rather pleasant. Erik shrugged off his coat and draped it over his arm, making his way towards the bar.

He spent the next hour in conversations with locals that seemed to go nowhere. Many of them were either too frightened by the still present German accept, or were too far gone in their drinking to be useful. Still, Erik managed to scrape together a few measly pieces of information. As he had suspected, he’d been getting closer and closer to Shaw and the thought of finally catching up to the man was enough to keep him going. After he paid for his drinks and clapped an overly-friendly drunk on the shoulder, Erik grabbed his coat and stepped back outside.

The thin mist that was already settled had thickened, making it near impossible to see. Erik held his hand in front of his face and sighed softly when he could barely make out the outline of the digits. The light from several street lamps was blurred and distorted from the mist, but they still shone brightly enough to illuminate the road. Turning up his coat collar and sticking his hands into his pockets, Erik started back towards the inn.

He was barely halfway back when a woman slipped out of the shadows, heels clicking softly on the damp stones.

“Hey there…” She purred, one hand sliding over Erik’s shoulder and down his chest. He whirled around and batted her hand off, eyes narrowed.

“Before you ask, I have no need of your services.” He growled, glaring at her. The woman had a very familiar face, but he couldn’t quite place where he had seen it before. It wasn’t until she dropped her chin and pouted, batting her eyelashes up at him that something clicked and he paled.

“Come on Lehnsherr...You seem so tense.” As her last word reached the air, a horrid screeching filled Erik’s mind. The man collapsed to his knees with a choked cry, hands coming up to cup his ears in a useless attempt to halt the sound. The woman stood above him, hands resting on her hips and a predatory smirk playing at her lips.

“What’s the matter? Got a headache?” She asked, placing her heel to his chest and kicking him back. He landed on his back, teeth grip as the screeching continued. The woman grinned down at him and bent to grab his lapels, the screeching fading to a soft, almost hypnotic humming. “Now come along...I have someone who misses you dearly.”

Erik blinked up at her several times before slowly pushing himself to his feet and watching her curiously. The woman snapped her fingers in front of him, and when he didn’t react, she tapped his shoulder and started down the street. Erik followed after her like a dog, head slightly cocked to the side and eyes distant. There was a tiny voice at the back of his head, urging him not to go, but the woman’s thoughts and commands were stronger.

They were halfway down the street when Erik stopped and frowned, turning slowly and looking around. The woman stopped a few feet away after realizing he’d stopped following and turned to glare at him.

“Lehnsherr. Here.” She spat, but the man did not move. She stalked back to him and jabbed a finger into his chest, eyes narrowed. “I said, here.” She growled, then noticed the clarity coming to his eyes. She stepped back with a small frown then quickly turned to the street and looked around. It took her a moment before she spotted the cause of Erik’s pause, barely concealing themselves in an alley. She stepped forward, tilting her head curiously as a child stepped out, hands clenched at their sides.

“Leave him alone.” His voice barely reached the woman’s ears, though she laughed once she understood.

“And why do you care love?” She purred, smiling dangerously as the child walked closer. It was when he stepped fully into view that she felt a familiar hum building. She frowned at the child for a moment, watching as he crept forward.

“I can see you, you know.” She called almost playfully. The child froze and bolted back into his hiding place, drawing an amused laugh from the woman. She turned to Erik, and after a firm command to stay, she strolled down the street after the child. She wouldn’t hurt him, of course. She had been told to avoid any collateral damage...but scaring a child away couldn’t hurt.

“Come out little mouse....” She purred, turning the corner and frowning when she didn’t spot the child right away. She stood at the mouth of the alley and looked for him, hands resting calmly on her hips. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.” She added after a moment. When the boy still didn’t show himself, she scowled and stepped into the alley.

“I”m not playing around.” She growled, growing more and more irritated.

“Nor am I.” Came a soft voice behind her. Before she had the chance to turn, a roar of sound and thoughts crashed into her. She staggered in surprise and clasped her hands over her ears before she remembered that would do no good. The words were in her mind. She stared at the child and winced as a high pitched screaming filled her ears.

The sudden onslaught of sounds and feelings, all of which she’d been unprepared for, set off the woman’s instinct to run. There was no real danger, but the feelings this child was sending to her were painful, horrible things that she’d never felt before. Before she realized what she was doing, she was running.

Charles waited until the woman was out of sight before racing out of the alley and back to Erik. The older mutant stood dazed, head cupped in his hands. The sound of the frantic footfalls drew him from his daze.

“Charles!” He bent and scooped the boy into his arms, hugging the child close and smoothing down his hair. “Are you alright? You aren’t hurt, are you? Why are you out here on your own?” He asked the questions one after another, barely pausing to draw breath. Charles leaned back and bit his lip, squirming briefly.

“I was worried...I-I didn’t want to be alone anymore.” He admitted shyly. Erik sighed and shook his head, about to scold the child but finding he couldn’t.

“I told you I would be back, Charles.” He said, smoothing his hand over the boy’s back and realizing he wasn’t even wearing a coat. He set Charles down and carefully pulled off his own coat, shaking it out before wrapping up the boy in it. The fabric hung off his frame, and Erik chuckled fondly at the sight of Charles nearly swimming in his coat. The boy held his arms up, and Erik easily picked him up again, cradling the child close to his chest.

“But that woman…”

“Don’t worry about her, Charles. She won’t bother us again, I’m sure.” The lie tasted bitter in his mouth, but Erik shook it off. He didn’t know how she’d managed to find him, and it was worrying how easy it had been for her to overpower him. He’d have to be much more careful from now on. Perhaps he’d display his weaponry a little more obviously now. It wasn’t uncommon to see men walking around with their guns. Despite the end of the war, tensions were still fairly high in the country. Shaking himself free of these thoughts, Erik looked back down to Charles and adjusted his grip on the boy’s frame.

“Come along...I know where we need to go next. But first, a nice long rest for the both of us. We’ll set off at noon tomorrow. No more walking unless it is completely necessary, alright?” He said, unable to help his tiny smile as Charles beamed up at him and nodded enthusiastically.  

Without further delay, Erik started the walk back towards the inn, Charles balanced carefully in his arms. He was vaguely aware of eyes on them, but didn’t turn to check. Getting Charles back to the inn safely was his priority at the moment, and he would be damned if he couldn’t manage that. The child remained oblivious to Erik’s concerns, starting up at the clearing sky with a tired smile.

At the end of the street, a woman stood with hands resting on her hips and a barely visible smile playing at her lips. She’d been sent to find one, and while she’d failed on actually bringing him back, she would return with some news. Though still far too young, Erik’s companion would make a fine apology gift. Of course she couldn’t keep such a power a secret, and with a soft chuckle, she turned. Oh he would simply _love_ this one. 


	7. Interrogation

The room was colder than she remembered it being when she left. He had told her he'd be making some modifications to their little temporary safe house, but she didn't realize that meant boarding up the windows and closing the vents. With a heavy sigh, she knocked and waited for an answer before pushing the door open and stepping in.

"Welcome back, Emma. You took your sweet time."

She hated it when he spoke without looking from his work. It was a little unnerving, to be perfectly honest. Though to expect anything else from Shaw was a stretch. He always had his nose buried in some papers or attention focused on whatever poor sod he'd managed to get his hands on. Hard working was one way to describe him. Addicted to details was another, but of course she’d never voice these thoughts aloud.  

"Lehnsherr was rather hard to track down. He’s been moving quite a lot recently." She explained, arms folded over her chest and hip resting against the door frame. This seemed to peek Shaw’s interest, his eyebrows raising and pen stilling on paper. However, he didn’t speak or look up at her quite yet. She waited impatiently for him to respond, her eyebrow raised questioningly. Finally, after several moments he looked up and hummed thoughtfully.

"But you did find him." He clarified, voice calm and curious. Emma sighed heavily and nodded, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the statement.

"I wouldn't have come back if I hadn't."

"So tell me then, Emma.” Shaw started, pushing himself to his feet and stretching out slowly. “If you found him...Why isn't he here right now?" He asked, expression unreadable as he circled around the desk and stopped in front of Emma. She looked up at him with narrowed eyes, but didn’t back away.

"You don't think I tried to bring him, do you?" She asked, unable to keep the bite from her voice. Shaw chuckled softly and slipped his hands into his pockets, watching her with an amused smile.

"No, I’m sure you tried. I know you well, Emma dear. My question is...Why isn't he here now? You don't usually let people get away." He was mere inches from her face, but she didn't back down. Working with Sebastian Shaw, one learned to keep their uncertainty tucked away, even if the man was no where nearby. She did wrinkle her nose at their closeness, unable to help the scowl that formed on her face.

"He had a companion with him,” she said calmly, “a telepath."

Shaw raised an eyebrow at this and tilted his head, his curiosity clearly peaked. He stepped away from Emma, lips twitching with an almost teasing smile.

"A telepath? A strong one, clearly, if they made you run off with your tail between your legs." He hummed, biting back his smile at Emma's irritated expression.

"Bite me Shaw. You know I’m th-"

"Maybe later love,” Shaw interrupted, cutting her off with a wave of his hand, “I'm more interested in this telepath of yours." He moved back around his desk and dropped into his seat, eyes never leaving the woman across from him. "Tell me Emma...Who were they?"

Emma was quiet for a moment, her bottom lip trapped between her teeth and a frown creasing her brow. Shaw waited a moment before sighing and leaning back in his seat, gesturing for Emma to speak before folding his hands in his lap and watching her expectantly. Something about the way his lips seemed to always be quirked up in a smirk, and how his eyes never seemed to give anything away made Emma even more hesitant to share her information.

"Emma. I asked you a question, and I expect an answer." Shaw said calmly, using a tone very similar to that of a parent speaking to their child. Emma wrinkled her nose and scowled at him, stepping into the room and kicking the door shut behind herself.

"A boy...No more than a child." She started, deciding to get the worst part out of the way first. Before Shaw could interrupt, she continued. "Very strong for his age. The thoughts he was projecting were like nothing I've ever felt before."

Shaw listened intently, his head slightly cocked to the side. When he was sure Emma was done and waiting for his reaction, he straightened up in his seat and finally spoke.

"So you're telling me that you ran away from a kid?" He chuckled, raising an eyebrow questioningly. Emma snarled at him, her eyes blazing angrily. Shaw only grinned and raised his hands.

"Easy Emma. I'm not saying that's a bad thing. If this kid is as powerful as you make him sound, then I'm interested."

Emma frowned at him and once again placed her hands on her hips. "And what about Lehnsherr?" She asked. “Are you going to forget about him just like that?” Shaw shook his head with a sigh and stood once again, his hand resting lightly on the back of his chair.

"If he's traveling with another one of our kind, then he won't let that kid out of his sight for a second.” He said matter of factly. “My guess is that wherever the kid is, Lehnsherr won't be far behind."

Emma hummed gently and nodded in understanding, a small smile beginning to play at her lips. "So, we get the boy, and he comes to us." She said slowly, watching Shaw nod along.

"Exactly, Emma my dear." He propped his hip against the desk and smiled. "Go find Azazel. He'll get in and out quick enough. And tell him to be careful...I want the kid in one piece when he gets here."

Emma nodded and turned from the room, pausing in the doorway and looking back over her shoulder. "How will Lehnsherr know where we are? I'm not going to be the one giving him directions. God knows he won’t ask politely."

"He's smart,” Shaw shrugged, “ and he's already headed in the right direction. We've got a couple days ahead of him, we'll get there with plenty of time to spare. And if he’s gotten stupider, then we’ll send Azazel with a note." Emma raised an eyebrow, but didn't bother questioning any further. Shaw seemed certain enough, so there was no reason to pester him further. With a small shrug and nodded, she turned away.

"If you’re certain." She murmured. “I’ll tell you when Azazel has gone.” She added before strolling from the room and heading down the stairs. Shaw watched her go before settling down and sifting through the papers on his desk.

"A new telepath." He mused to himself, a small smile quirking his lips. "Oh this will be fun..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this chapter is so short. There was no real way to make this chapter any longer without screwing with the layout I had planned. Any chapters after this one will be about their usual length, instead of this short.


	8. A Meeting

Erik looked over at the sleeping child for what could have been the hundredth time that night. As soon as they’d arrived back at the inn, he’d sent Charles to bed despite the boy’s protests and questions about the woman. As soon as Charles had washed and crawled into bed though, the boy had drifted off without any fuss. This left Erik in silence to contemplate what had happened. The man sat in a chair by the window, reclined back in the uncomfortable seat and head tipped to watch the street below. Not a single person had passed, and the silence was only disturbed once by a barking dog.

Shaw had found him, had known where he was even after he’d worked so hard to cover his tracks and remain untraceable. The encounter should not have happened.  Erik had a sinking feeling that if Charles hadn’t arrived when he did, the boy would have been alone once more. And Erik couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing. He decided they needed to move faster, they couldn't risk wasting any more time in walking. He looked out the window as the first train rolled into the station, watching the steam billow off the large machine with a soft sigh.

As soon as Charles woke, he decided, they would be off.

-0-

The next morning brought more life to the town than Erik expected was even possible. He and Charles had woken to loud conversations and the rattle of carts on the cobble streets. They’d eaten a quick breakfast before heading out to the train station.

“Where are we going next?” Charles asked from his perch upon Erik’s shoulders. The boy had refused to walk that morning, complaining of sore feet. Erik didn’t want to deal with the child’s antics that morning, and had picked him up without question as they left the inn.

“We’re going to take the train to Manchester…Though I’m not sure how long it will take us to get there.”

Charles pursed his lips and hummed. “The day…I think.” The boy said, nodding to himself. Erik gave a heavy sigh and nodded. That didn’t leave much time to plan, but he figured that it was better to get to the city sooner rather than later. Especially if Shaw knew they were coming. He made his way to the ticket queue, getting two tickets for Charles and himself. He then swung Charles off his shoulders and into his arms, trying not to smile at the boyish laugh Charles gave.

"By the window!” The boy chirped, bouncing in Erik’s arms as they made their way to an empty carriage. Erik rolled his eyes, but did as he was told and settled them down at a window seat, making sure Charles was away from the aisle. The compartment filled slowly, much to Erik’s distaste. He didn’t move them though, not wanting to draw any more attention than necessary.

After a few moments the train pulled out of the station with a shrill blast of the whistle. Erik settled back in his seat, staring at the ceiling as he tried to come up with a plan. Charles was quiet, staring out the window with a small smile on his face. Neither of the duo noticed the young woman who sat opposite them, a hat pulled low over her eyes. She sat in silence for a while before Charles finally noticed her, looking over with a tilted head. The boy tugged on Erik’s sleeve, alerting the older man to the woman’s presence.

“Can I help you?” He asked, startling the woman out of her trance. She looked up and tilted her head, silent before she realized that the man had addressed her.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” She said with an apologetic smile, removing her hat and smoothing down her hair. “I was just…your son is just adorable.”

Erik blinked and looked down to Charles, who seemed to share in his confusion.

“My…son? No he isn’t, I mean we aren’t…there’s no relation between the two of us.” He sputtered, clearing his throat after finally managing to spit out what he’d wanted to say. Charles nodded solemnly.

“Oh, my apologies.” The woman said, a light blush dusting her cheeks. “It isn’t often you see just a man and a child who aren’t related together.” She said. Erik narrowed his eyes, tilting his head when he realized the woman didn’t speak with an English accent. American then…

"If I may be so bold to ask, why are you two together?” She asked, interrupting Erik’s thoughts once again. The man rolled his eyes and sighed, looking down to Charles.

“He lost his parents in the bombing of Kingston Upon Hull. I’ve been taking care of him since.”

“We’re going to Manchester!” Charles chirped, then realized perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything and fell silent. The woman frowned at the pair and gave a slow nod.

“Right…Well, I must admit I respect you for taking on such a difficult task. I don’t think many people would have adopted a child they didn’t know, especially in times of war.” She trailed off and shook her head, looking away. “Sorry I…I got away from myself.” She said with an apologetic smile. Erik didn’t respond, eyeing her for a moment longer before leaning back and settling back into his own thoughts.

They were just pulling into the next station when the woman perked up again, her attention once more drawn the Erik and Charles.

“So who is in Manchester for the boy? Surely you can’t just be taking him there to leave him.”

Erik lifted his gaze and sighed once again, looking across at the woman. “No, he has family there.” He said, ignoring the confused look Charles was giving him. The woman opposite them caught the boy’s look and frowned herself, hands clasped together in her lap.

“Oh? What family?”

“Aunt…Uncle…His mother’s brother or something.” Erik muttered, not at all wanting a conversation with the woman. She didn’t seem to notice his annoyance, leaning forward in her seat and resting her elbows on her knees.

“And what about you? Do you have any business in Manchester?”

“No, just dropping off the boy.”

“It seems like an awful long trip to make for a child you don’t know.”

The train was pulling into the station, the machine chugging to a halt and letting out a loud whistle. Before Erik had the time to respond to the woman’s comment, the door to their compartment slammed open. A young man raced in, hair wild and eyes blown wide

“Stop, thief!” A woman called, catching herself in the doorway and pointing at the man who clutched a handbag to his chest. Realizing the doors had not yet opened and that he was cornered, the man made a panicked decision and pulled a knife from his pocket. After a slight hesitation, he pulled the woman opposite Erik to her feet and pressed the weapon to her throat.

"Alright…no body move and this lady keeps ‘er neck intact!” He snapped, hands trembling. Erik was already on his feet, snarling at the man. The woman seemed completely calm, looking completely unimpressed at the man’s actions. She shifted her body, both hands curling around the man’s wrist.

In a flurry of movement, the woman shifted her footing and sent the man flying over her shoulder. He landed on his back with a surprised grunt, staring up with wide eyes. The doors to the train opened and a stunned conductor stepped into the compartment. Erik stared in confusion at the woman as she lifted the bag and handed it back to its owner, giving a shy smile as the woman gushed over her. Erik hoisted Charles into his arms and hurried off the train despite the boy’s protests.

"Charles, hush. I know this isn’t our stop…” Erik muttered, glancing over his shoulder before breaking into a light jog.

“Then why are we off the train?” The boy demanded, clinging onto the older man’s neck while peeing around.

"There was something off about that woman…I didn’t want to be around her any longer.”

Charles nodded, resting his chin against Erik’s shoulder and nudging him when he spotted the woman hop down off the train. “She’s off the train…” He muttered, the words spurring Erik into a run.

Several blocks later the man finally stopped and set Charles down, taking his eyes off the boy so that he could adjust his bags.

“Charles, stay close. I can’t risk losing you now.” He muttered, casting a quick glance over to where the boy stood. Or rather, previously stood. Erik immediately straightened up, eyes wide. “Charles?” He spun in a small circle, eyes scanning the crowd. Panic was clenching at his chest, making his breaths come out tight and frantic. He began pushing people out of the way, ignoring their sputtered protests as he moved through the square.

 “Charles!”


	9. Arrival

“I’m going to ask you one more time…Have you seen a small child running around. He can’t be any more than six years-old. Brown hair, scrawny little thing?”

“I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. There are a lot of children running around here without parents. I don’t usually pay attention to them. They all look the same to me.”

Erik growled and released the man’s jacket, running a hand through his hair. He’d been searching all day for Charles, and had angered quite a few people in his search. He hadn’t let that deter him though. He knew Charles was still around, he just wasn’t sure  _where_  the boy had run off to.

Stepping out of the pub he’d just been in, Erik scanned the streets for any sign of the boy. A scrap of cloth or a shoe or anything to give him a direction to search in. The street was just as barren of clues as it had been when he’d first arrived. He groaned and started down the street, oblivious to almost everything around him.

A few people called out to him, trying to sell their wares, but he didn’t pay them any attention. What if Charles wasn’t around? What if Shaw had grabbed the boy without his noticing? No, impossible. Charles would have called out or caused a disturbance. The boy was smart enough to know not to just wander off. Especially after what had happened on the train.

Thunder drew Erik out of his thoughts, his gaze turning up to the darkening sky. He stood still for a moment, eyes glued to the sky before he continued on his way.  He couldn’t leave Charles behind, but he had a higher duty to get to. The boy would have to survive on his own.

This thought made him pause, his eyes widening in surprise. He was harsh, yes. He took pride in his ability to distance himself from his emotions. But Charles had changed that. The small orphaned child had managed to do what no one since his mother had been able to do. Erik froze at the end of the street, remaining in place even as the rain began to fall.

He couldn’t just leave Charles here. Not after everything the boy had gone through. He couldn’t bring himself to do something that horrible. Without a second glance at the station, he turned around and walked back into the town.

He walked the street once more, pausing to speak to the few people still out. No one had seen the boy, and Erik was beginning to lose hope. He'd decided to turn in for the night when a door slammed open behind him. He turned, narrowing his eyes against the darkness.

“Who's there?” He snapped. Silence answered him, hanging over the street for a brief moment. Finally, the sound of running footsteps broke through the rain.

“Erik!”

“Charles?”

The boy was in his arms a moment later, laughing as Erik spun him around and hugged him close.

“Don’t you wander off like that again, do you hear me?” He murmured, looking down at the boy with a small frown. “Something could have happened to you.” Erik smoothed a hand over the boy's damp hair, thankful to have him back.

The boy looked down, pouting before opening his mouth to speak. He opened his mouth to speak, but a loud cough from behind them cut him off.

“It’s a good thing I was around to make sure nothing did.”

Erik’s head snapped up, eyes locking onto the woman from the train. He tightened his grip on Charles, turning to try and keep the boy away from her. The woman remained in the door, protected from the rain by the awning above her head.

“Who are you?” Erik asked, fighting to keep his voice under control. He could have walked away, but didn’t want to upset anyone farther. Though from the look in her eyes, he had already done that.

The woman sighed and shook her head. “Agent MacTaggert. CIA.”

Erik rolled his eyes and groaned.

“Damn Americans, sticking their noses in where they don’t belong. What do you want from us?”

“How about you come inside and get out of the rain. The last thing we want is a sick child.” She stepped aside and gestured into the building, raising her eyebrow at Erik’s hesitance. “If you can’t keep an eye on him if he’s healthy, how are you going to care for him if he gets sick?”

Erik had set Charles down by this point, hands curling into fists at his sides. He approached the woman, eyes dark.

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do with the boy?” He demanded. The woman tilted her head in surprise before huffing.

“A child needs someone who will take care of them no matter what. And despite what Charles was telling me, you don’t seem to be taking good care of him. When’s the last time he had a true meal, hm?”

Erik was silent, eyes burning into the woman opposite him. Charles clung to his sleeve, eyes flicking between the adults with worry. Erik took a step forward, the metal street lights beginning to quiver and bend.

“He was going to get one tonight before you came along and stole away with him.”

“Stole away with him? He came to me!” She snapped, mirroring the step forward, almost daring Erik to react. His lips curled into a snarl and he stepped forward once again into the woman’s space. She didn’t back down.

“Erik…” Charles warned, voice timid in the tense moment. The older man paid no attention to him, glaring down at the woman who refused to back away.

“We don’t need your help.” He said, each word a low growl. Charles had tucked his face into Erik’s shoulder and gave up his attempts to calm the man.

The woman raised an eyebrow, opening her mouth to speak before pausing. Her she stared at the cloud of red smoke that had appeared behind Erik, head cocked to the side. Her words faded and turned into a horrified screech, eyes blowing wide. Erik whirled around, cursing as his eyes fell on the source of the woman’s fright.

A figure stood where the smoke had been, his red skin obvious in the low light. Erik stood in shock, staring at the devil before setting Charles down. The woman moved forward, leading the child back into the building.

The two figure stood in the middle of the rain drenched street, staring at each other. Finally, the devil stepped forward, tail flicking behind him like a whip, and spoke.

“The child. “ He said, holding out a hand. 

Erik expected flames to leap out of its palm, and he took a step back as though that would save him. He frowned when he realized that was not the case, narrowing his eyes at the devil.

“You want the child? You’ll have to get through me first.”

The devil’s lips curled into a smirk, his eyes flashing before he was gone. Erik turned in a quick circle, hands curling into fists in anticipation of a blow. It came from behind, the devil’s tail lashing out and sending him sprawling forward. A street lamp swung down, the light dying as it connected with the devil’s chest. He vanished again in the air, reappearing behind Erik. Without hesitation, the devil curled his tail around the man’s neck.

The metal bender’s hands flew up, tugging in an attempt to get free. As he struggled, nails pulled free from the crates piled on the sides of the road, and flew towards the devil. Too late he vanished, three of the dozen nails finding their mark.

Erik stumbled forward, gasping for air and scanning the street. It had gone quiet, the devil nowhere in sight. He edged his way back towards the building, aware of every small noise. Charles had cracked the door open, beckoning Erik in with a frantic wave. The man hesitated a moment before walking over, about to head into the building.

“Duck!”

At the woman's voice he dropped down, flinching at the shot. He turned, staring wide eyed at the devil who had one hand pressed to his bleeding arm. He looked down to the wound, growling before launching himself at Erik, eyes blazing. Erik pushed himself back to his feet and lunged forward, the two colliding halfway. 

More lights were beginning to flick on, people emerging from their homes in confusion. A woman screamed at the sight of the devil and man in the street, drawing both their gazes to her. While Erik turned, the devil lashed out with his tail. The spiked tip slashed over Erik's chest, leaving a narrow gash. The devil then vanished, leaving Erik alone in the street.

Charles raced forward, grabbing his hand and trying to pull him out of the street. Erik followed, his chest stinging where the devil’s tail had pierced skin. Several people had emerged from their homes and were examining the scene. One woman clung to her husband, demanding that he tell her she hadn't just seen the devil.

Agent MacTaggert ushered both Charles and Erik into a room, shutting the door. She turned to look at the two, her expression unreadable.

“What was that?” She demanded. Erik ignored her and settled down, cradling a trembling Charles close to his side.

“Hell if I know.” He muttered, smoothing his hand over Charles’ hair and murmuring to the boy. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. He…he was the devil.”

“There’s no such thing.” She snapped, shaking her head. “The devil doesn’t exist.”

“Then how do you explain him? How do you explain the tail and the red skin?” Erik demanded, lifting his gaze to glare at the woman.

Charles, who had been silent, swiped at his eyes before he willed himself to speak.

“A mutant. Like us.”

Both Erik and the woman fell silent, turning to look down at the boy.

“A mutant?” She repeated, eyes narrowing. “Like  _us_?”

Erik was quiet for a moment before sighing and pulling his shirt off, wincing as he did.

“If you would be so kind to help me with this, I would be glad to explain.” He said, the words heavy in his mouth.

For the longest time he had believed it was only himself, that he was alone. Shaw had spoken of others, but Erik had always believed it to be wishful thinking. Then Charles had come along, along with the other telepath, and now a devil. He looked up as the woman sat next to him, a box resting in her lap.

“You have until I’m finished to explain everything.”

-0-

“So just let me get this straight.” Moira said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she leaned back. “You got experimented on as a boy because you could...what was it again?"

“Control metal.” Erik replied, examining the stitches on his chest. Moira, as they had learned her true name was, had a steady hand when it came to stitching up wounds.

“Right, control metal. So now you’re hunting him down for revenge. Charles fits in because you found him wandering a town and decided to take him with you?”

“I followed, actually.” Charles interrupted. Moira cast a glance to him and managed a small smile before nodding.

“Okay. And now this Shaw guy wants Charles because of…?” She trailed off, looking between the two for an explanation.

“We don’t know why.” Erik replied, pulling Charles in close to his side. The boy nodded, dropping his gaze and curling close to Erik’s side. Moira pursed her lips and nodded.

“Oh…well that doesn’t help much at all.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Erik agreed, “But that doesn’t mean there  _isn’t_  a reason for it. We just need to figure out what it is.”

“Me.” Charles said, fighting back a yawn. “It’s me…”

Erik was quiet, looking down with a small frown. “You? How do you know that?”

“He was thinking it.” Charles said, dropping his gaze and swallowing. “Shaw sent him…he wanted me so that he could get to you. He’s planning something.”

A heavy silence settled over the room, the three occupants lost in their thoughts. Finally Erik spoke, shifting about and tucking Charles in.

“You need to sleep. We’ll figure out what to do in the morning. It…it’s been a long day for us all.”

Charles looked up and hesitated a moment before closing his eyes and curling up. 

"Promise you'll still be here?"

Erik looked down to the boy and nodded, brushing a strand of hair out of his face.

"Of course."

Charles nodded and was asleep in moments, hugging the pillow to his chest. Erik watched him a moment before looking up to Moira.

“You have more questions.” He said. It was a statement, more than a question of his own.

She locked gazes with him and nodded.

 


	10. Invitation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well....guess who found this unedited and realized how crappy it was and had to completely re-write it? And then...Forgot to edit that. Even if this is still crappy, it's better than what it was before.

“So what you’re telling me is that you got scared off by a woman?”

“With a gun.”

“Of course, with a gun. So you thought it would be a good idea to come back to me _without_  either of the targets I sent you to retrieve. Can you see why I’m upset, Azazel?”

The devil snarled, though it was more from the pain of a shaking nurse digging through his arm for the bullet.

Shaw pinched the bridge of his nose and walked to the window, staring out over the river with a shake of his head. “This shouldn’t be this difficult, you know? One simple child, that’s all I ask for. A child, and Lehnsherr will come to us no fight.”

“And why do you want him here? I thought we were trying to avoid him?” Azazel asked through grit teeth, glaring down at the nurse as she apologized. Shaw smiled at the woman before lifting his gaze again.

“We were…But Lehnsherr is dangerous. Especially if he managed to escape both you and Mrs. Frost.” He paused and looked back to the window. “That child is the only thing that seems to have any effect on him.”

Azazel raised an eyebrow, ignoring the nurse as she finished and left.

“You want to hurt him.” He said, eyeing the man in front of him with a slight tilt to his head.

“Now you’re getting it.” Shaw crooned, earning an annoyed snarl from the mutant across from him. He ignored it though and returned to his desk, drumming his fingers on the marred surface.

“Obviously he won’t give up the child without a fight. So we need to focus his attention on something else. Something that will distract him long enough so that we can take the child without too much of a fight.” He muttered to himself, fingers never stopping their pattern.

“Or…” Azazel started, continuing when Shaw made no sign to stop him. “We give him no other choice but to come to us. Or rather, with us.”

Something flashed in Shaw’s eyes and his fingers stilled, poised in the air. A grim smile worked its way onto his face, curving his lips up.

“Azazel, you are smarter than I give you credit for. Would you please go find Mrs. Frost for me? Tell her it’s urgent.”

-0-

It had been a long, painful night for Erik. No matter which way he tried to lie down, his stitches pulled and tugged to the point where he gave up on sleep. Instead he sat awake, keeping an eye on Charles and Moira. Both of his companions slept well, which offered some level of comfort. At least they would be well rested for the next day.

Moira was the first to wake up. She decided it was a better use of her time to go and try to find some breakfast for them. Erik was at first hesitant to let her leave, but after some assurance he waved her off. She was good with a gun if anything serious did end up happening.

This left him alone with Charles once again. The boy was sound asleep, and Erik couldn’t blame him. He had no idea when the last time the boy had slept in a real bed was, and he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty. He had, after all, kept them walking instead of resting as often as was best for the child. He shook himself from these thoughts, sighing heavily and pushing himself to his feet.

The rain was beginning to let up even though the clouds still lingered overhead. Erik looked down to Charles again and decided it wisest to wake the boy, for fear of him not sleeping the next night.

“Charles. Time to get up. We’re going out for breakfast.”

The boy whined and rubbed his eyes, burrowing further into the pillow. Erik smiled faintly and shook the boy’s shoulders.

“Charles, come now. Moira is waiting for us.”

Charles opened his eyes, the blue still distant with sleep. He stumbled out of bed, stretching out with the blanket still wrapped around his shoulders. Erik chuckled at the sight and shook his head.

“Come, let’s get you cleaned up before we go out.” He said, pushing open the door to a small washroom. Charles nodded and stepped inside, shutting the door behind himself. Erik didn’t go far, remaining near the door in case Charles should need him. The boy emerged a moment later, bright-eyed and clean. The two headed out of the inn, ignoring an older woman’s mutterings about the oncoming storm.

Erik took the lead, holding Charles close to his side. They passed only a couple people who smiled politely before hurrying on their way.

“Erik, Charles!” Moira’s voice drifted from an open doorway. Erik started for it, but paused as Charles pulled back.

“Come on…We can’t stay out here too long. It’s going to rain.” Erik said, squatting down beside the boy and placing both hands on his shoulder. Charles eyed the building and shook his head.

“Something isn’t right.”

Erik narrowed his eyes and looked around, following Charles’ gaze. Nothing seemed wrong or out of place, but he knew better than to not believe the child now. Moira leaned against the doorframe, watching them with a raised eyebrow.

“Everything will be alright.” Erik promised, straightening up and giving Charles’ hand a reassuring squeeze. “I promise.”

The boy was at first reluctant to follow, looking around the streets with wide eyes. Erik waited patiently, shooting an apologetic expression to Moira. Charles eventually started towards the building, steps slow and apprehensive. 

“I’m sorry it took us so long. Had a bit of a hard time getting Charles out of bed.” Erik said as they entered. He looked up and paused, frowning in confusion. The café was nearly deserted apart from a few patrons seated in a far corner. Moira was nowhere to be seen, despite both Erik and Charles having watched her walk in. Erik frowned and stepped in front of Charles, scanning the café with a scowl.

“If something happens…run.” He murmured, watching one of the men in the back corner stand and stretch. He felt Charles nod and released the boy’s shoulder, straightening up with a cheerful smile.

“Sorry to bother you gentlemen. I was just wondering if a young woman came through here. Long brown hair? I believe she was wearing trousers…” He trailed off as the men turned to stare at him, eyes hard and accusing. Erik returned the glare easily, making sure Charles was still behind him with a swipe of his hand. “Names Moira?”

“We’ve seen your little friend.” The man who was standing said, leaning against the back of his chair. Erik took a small step forward, glad to hear Charles mimicking the step as well.

“You have? Where did she go?” He demanded, catching himself before he went too far. “If you don’t mind sharing.”

“What’ll I get in return for my help?”

Erik had to force himself not to throw something at the man, or at the very least swear. Charles was still behind him. He let out a long breath, clenching and unclenching his hands before looking up.

“And what were you expecting?” He asked, the smile gone from his face.

“Just a small monetary compensation.” The man replied, shooting a toothy smile over at the duo. Charles tugged at Erik’s sleeve, digging through his pocket and holding up a hand full of coins. Erik eyed them uncertainly for a moment before taking them. He’d have to ask Charles later where the boy had gotten the money.

He stepped forward and held it out to the man, scowling at him as the man counted out the amount. Seemingly satisfied he nodded and looked up.

“She went upstairs with some other woman. Blond hair…very attractive young lady if I must say so.”

Erik frowned, nodding and murmuring a soft thanks as he made his way past the men to a narrow staircase. Charles gripped his wrist tightly, looking around with wide eyes.

“I don’t like this.” He said softly, stumbling up a step. Erik paused long enough for the boy to right himself before continuing up the stairs.

“Neither do I.” He said, stopping at a closed door at the top of the stairs. “Do you remember what I said?”

“Something goes wrong,” Charles whispered, “run.”

Erik nodded, placing a gentle hand on Charles’ shoulder before he pushed the door open. He froze in the doorway, staring down the barrel of a gun.

“You took your time getting here, Erik.” Moira said in a voice that seemed almost too sweet, too polished. Erik raised an eyebrow and looked over her shoulder, ignoring the weapon pointed between his eyes.

“She has no part in this. Let her go.”

Emma looked up and pouted, swinging her legs off the arm of a chair and sitting up properly. She looked to Moira and a moment later the other woman slumped to the floor with a soft sigh. Erik made no move to catch her, glaring across at Emma.

“What are you doing here?” He demanded, placing himself completely in front of Charles. The boy hung onto his pant leg, staring across at the woman with wide eyes.

Emma smiled sweetly and pushed herself to her feet, stretching and smoothing down her coat. She stepped over Moira’s limp form and paused a moment to nudge the other woman with her toe.

“Oh you know. Business.” She said with a simple shrug. Erik frowned and stepped back, reaching back to make sure he didn’t push Charles down the stairs. The boy stumbled, but quickly righted himself to glare up at the woman as she paused in the door, tilting her head.

“Come on…Let’s make this easy for me and everyone involved.” She said, flashing him a sickly-sweet smile. Erik scowled and moved around her, managing to bring Charles with him.

“What exactly is this?” He asked, keeping himself firmly in front of Charles. The gun that Moira had been holding lifted off the ground, leveling itself with the back of the woman’s head.

“Just an invitation to dinner is all. Shaw misses you, Erik.” She replied, pouting slightly as she felt the barrel of the gun press into the back of her neck. “Now that isn’t very nice…”

“Neither was what he did to me.” Erik snarled, eyes narrowing. “Does he honestly expect me to come with you?”

“Well to be honest,” Emma sighed, “he figured you’d put up a bit of a fight.” She lifted her hand and turned the barrel of the gun away from her neck. “Obviously he know you a lot better than others.”

“Obviously.” Erik repeated with a growl. Charles shifted uneasily behind him, eyes scanning the room.

“Erik…” He whispered, tugging the man’s sleeve. Without taking his eyes off of Emma, Erik tilted his head more towards Charles. The boy swallowed and pressed closer.

“There’s someone else here.”

Erik’s frown deepened and he straightened up, gaze hard and unforgiving. Emma smiled sweetly and popped one shoulder in a shrug.

“What? You thought I didn’t learn from the last time?” She crooned. “Shaw doesn’t just keep me around for my looks.”

Erik frowned, opening his mouth to speak when he was cut off by a startled yelp from behind him. He turned in time to catch Charles’ limp form, the boy sagging forward wordlessly. Erik shifted his grip quickly, cradling the boy close as he began to turn towards the woman.

“What did you do to hi-“ He trailed off as she pressed two gentle fingers to his temple and hummed softly.

“Relax, Erik…Just go to sleep.”

He tried desperately to pull away from her, to break the contact but it was no use. His eyes began to drift close, body sagging until he slumped to the ground with Charles held close to his chest. He kept his eyes open long enough to see a puff of red smoke and a second pair of feet appearing beside Emma’s.

After that everything went black.


	11. Dinner

It wasn't the pounding in the back of his head that woke him up, but the chill that had penetrated through to his bones. He sat up, one hand immediately going to check for damage where they'd hit him. Dried blood matted in his hair, but the wound wasn't as serious as it could have been. He shivered, drawing his knees up to his chest to preserve whatever warmth he could.

He looked around the room, squinting through the mist that rose from his breath. Another form lay huddled in the corner, shivering violently.

"Charles?" He asked, voice low and rough. The form shifted, and it became painfully aware that it wasn't the boy. Their hair too long, body too large. It took him a moment to realize that the figure laying across from him was actually Moira. She managed a weak smile and pushed herself up, knees still hugged to her chest.

"Ah…You're awake." She said through chattering teeth. Erik managed a nod, resting his head back against the icy wall. It was difficult to conceal the disappointment that she hadn't been Charles. His expression shifted to worry as he began to wonder where the boy was. If he wasn't here, then he must be with the woman or devil. Erik gave an involuntary shuddered at the thought of the boy being near Shaw.

"Where are we?"

Moira shrugged, looking around the room with a small frown.

"Honestly? I don't know." She muttered, looking over to the door. Erik followed her gaze, tilting his head with a frown.

"Have you tried getting out?"

"Of course…It's locked."

Erik groaned and dropped his head, clenching the fabric of his trousers. Moira watched him from the other side of the room, silent for several moments before she sighed.

"I'm sorry…I didn't realize."

Erik looked up and shook his head.

"You weren't expecting it. None of us were." He paused, narrowing his eyes as he heard something tapping against the door. A moment later it swung open, Emma standing on the other side with a sickeningly sweet smile.

"Cooled down enough?" She asked, two men stepping over to flank her. "If you aren't going to boil over again, Shaw would like to see you."

Erik scowled at her, opening his mouth to snap back before Moira cut him off.

"We'll go." She assured, shooting him a glare before looking up to Emma again. The other woman narrowed her eyes, watching the two for a moment before nodding. The two men flanking her stepped into the room, one stepping to each of the two and hauling them to their feet.

Erik's struggle was brief, the chill in the room having made it difficult to fight back. They were half dragged, half marched down the hall and up a flight of stairs before Emma stopped and opened a door.

"The woman in here. Get her a blanket." She said before turning and leading Erik and the man holding him up towards another flight of stairs. Erik stumbled along numbly, staring down at the ground. He could barely move his fingers, never mind control his powers at the moment. No doubt one of the other reasons they'd been locked in that room.

Emma knocked on another door before pushing it open. After a moment she turned and nodded to the man, who moved past her and dragged Erik over to a seat. He dumped the man and glanced uncertainly around the room before hurrying out.

"Play nicely." Emma called before the door clicked shut behind her and left Erik alone.

Erik sat for a moment, trying to get the circulation back into his hands and feet. There didn't appear to be anyone else in the room, and he wasn't sure if this was reassuring or worrying. The door on the other end of the room remained closed, though Erik had no doubt that there was someone or something behind it. Just waiting for the right time to show themselves.

Erik was just regaining the feeling in his fingers when the door swung open. Despite the sudden movement, he made no move to stand, eyeing the doorway with a scowl.

"Ah, Erik. Glad to see you're awake. I hope you weren't treated  _too_  poorly." Shaw hummed, strolling into the room and ignoring Erik's hatre filled glare. He curled his fingers around the edge of the table, gripping it so tightly his knuckles turned white.

"It was an absolute pleasure." He managed to snarl through grit teeth. Shaw raised an eyebrow and chuckled, circling around the table to take his seat at the far head.

Even after years, Erik couldn't help the shudder that ran down his spine at the familiar memories the situation brought back. He closed his eyes and forced a deep breath into his lungs with seemed rather unwilling to work. Shaw didn't seem to notice his company's discomfort, and if he had he'd chosen to ignore it.

The pair sat in silence, each waiting for the other to make a move. When Erik didn't seem willing to move, or react apart from his constant glare, Shaw sighed and leaned forward on the table, resting his chin on his hands.

"Erik, I understand why you're so upset."

Erik couldn't help but snort and raised an eyebrow.

"Upset isn't exactly the word I'd use." He said, attention drifting from Shaw and roaming the room. Nothing in the room called out to him, even the details as simple as the door knobs were plastic. They'd been expecting him. Shaw clearing his throat drew his attention back, teeth grit in irritation.

"You want the boy back, I know." Shaw sighed, reclining back in his seat. "I'd love to give him back, really I would but there's a slight problem with that."

"You can't?" Erik supplied, voice cool and bitter. Shaw smiled faintly and shrugged.

"Well to put it bluntly, yes. I haven't seen a power as strong as his in years." Shaw trailed off, catching Erik's growl and chuckling.

"Relax. He knows how to use his powers, unlike you when we first started. He know what he's doing, there's no need to force it out of him." Shaw shrugged, speaking as though they were talking about the weather. Erik glared at him, gritting his teeth.

"Where is he, Shaw?"

"Oh don't worry, he's perfectly safe right now. That is if you choose to behave and deal with us civilly."

"Like hell I will." Erik spat, pushing himself to his feet and crossing to the door. Shaw made no move to stop him, watching with an amused smirk. Not to Erik's surprise, the door he'd come in through was locked. He crossed to the other door and tried, but the wood refused to budge. He growled to himself and looked back to Shaw, who was watching with a tilted head.

"Care to try the window?" He asked, gesturing behind him. Erik scowled, though the idea had crossed his mind. Of course he wouldn't jump, what use would he be to Charles if he shattered his legs, or killed himself. He made one final loop around the room before returning to the table, though he did not re-take his seat.

"What do you want, Shaw?"

"Ah, so we're being polite now?" Shaw asked with a smile. "Well originally…We wanted you back. Things are getting tough for our kind, Erik. And a power such as yours would have been extraordinarily useful to our cause. But when Mrs. Frost came back to me with news of your companion well I had to admit I was intrigued. Charles is a gifted child, Erik, obviously you know this. But he will be of more use to us than to you. And he can take your place, can't he? You'll be free to do whatever you'd like to do, and we'll handle the rest."

"You expect me to let you keep him after everything you did to me? I know you, Shaw. You'll do the same to him even if he complies with whatever you want. You're greedy, you'll want to push him farther than he's capable of."

"He'll thank me, Erik. " Shaw said, expression hardening a fraction. "He and you are the same. You both have more power than you realize, and I'm here to help you."

"Help? You call endless torture and murder  _helping?_ " Erik demanded. In seconds he was behind Shaw, hands wrapped tightly around the man's throat. "What you did was  _not_  helping."

Shaw reached up, gripping Erik's wrists and growling as he tried to pull them off.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I were you…" He managed to gasp out, shifting in his seat and snarling.

"And why not?" Erik demanded, not looking up as he heard the door to the room open again.

"Erik!"

The man immediately froze, looking up with wide eyes at the sight before him. Azazel stood in the door, yanking the boy into the room by his arm.

"Let him go…" The devil said slowly, nails digging into Charles' arm. Erik hesitated only a moment before stepping back and holding his hands up as he backed away. Shaw coughed and massaged his throat, chuckling a moment later and standing up.

"Alright, now then…After that little outburst, I think we should start over. You lay another hand on me, and Azazel here is going to have to do something he'll regret."

The devil smiled darkly, giving Charles a slight shake. The boy stumbled with the rough gestures and whined, tugging his arm to try and pull away. The man grit his teeth, biting back the several choice words that threatened to spill forward. Instead he gave a curt nod and forced himself back to his seat, eyes never leaving Charles.

Shaw grinned and reclined back into his chair, ignoring the angry red mark that circled his neck.

"Now, let's try and be civil about this now, shall we? I'm asking, rather nicely considering what you've just done to me, to let me keep the boy. You have my word that no harm will come to him, as long as he  _and_  you behave yourselves."

"And if I refuse to let you keep him?"

"Well in all honesty, I'm going to keep him anyways. He has no future with you, Erik. A life wandering the country side is far from good for a child. I'll be helping him, working with him to make sure he becomes the best he can possibly be." Shaw said with a shrug and leaned forward. "He'll know how to control everything around him…He could have the world in the palm of his hands if he wanted. He-"

"I don't want that."

The room fell silent, all eyes turning towards the voice that had spoken up. Charles returned their gazes, expression hesitant for only a brief moment before he shook his head.

"I don't want to stay. I want to go with Erik. I don't like you, and I don't like it here." He said, turning his attention to Shaw. Azazel made a move to jostle the boy again, but a simple wave from Shaw stopped him. The man slowly pushed himself to his feet and crossed over, hands twitching at his sides.

"Is that so?"

Charles held his gaze, his eyes blazing. He nodded, throwing as much anger into the motion as his tiny frame could handle. Shaw stood in silence for a moment, looking down at the boy. Erik was almost positive he would have stuck the boy had he not begun to laugh.

The sound was low at first, barely a rumble deep in Shaw's chest. Soon it changed from a low chuckle to a full blown cackle. Erik stiffened and glanced down to Charles, who seemed to share in his mixture of confusion and fear. The laugh was over before long, and Shaw stooped again, getting low enough so that he was at eye-level with Charles.

"You know what? It really doesn't matter what you think. And you know why that is? Because children don't know what's good for them. You don't know what you need, Charles. But I do…I know everything that can make you the most powerful mutant on the planet." Shaw snarled jabbing a finger into the boy's chest, making him stumble back.

"Don't touch him." Erik snapped, moving a step closer. Azazel looked up and tugged Charles closer, sneering over at Erik. Shaw paused and straightened up, tilting his head.

"Oh, you mean like this?" He asked, giving a sharp tug to Charles' hair. The boy yelped and tried to pull away, rubbing the top of his head with a sniffle.

Erik curled his hands into fists, looking around the room for anything he could use to keep Shaw away from the boy. He spotted the buttons on Charles' jacket and paused, narrowing his eyes at them. He could take them out, but doing so would jostle the child and draw attention to what was going on. He turned away and shook his head.

"I swear…"

"You swear what?" Shaw prompted, turning his back to Charles and Azazel. Erik took this moment to begin trying to pull the metal buttons off of Charles' jacket. Charles caught the look and understood, nodding and watching Shaw.

"Erik. You swear what?" Shaw repeated, stepping forward and frowning. "I asked you a question, and I'd really like an answer."

Erik looked up as the buttons finally came off of Charles' jacket and rose up behind Shaw.

"I swear I'll kill you."

Shaw laughed again and shook his head. "Oh really? And how will you do that?" He sneered, unaware of the metal hovering inches from the back of his head.

"Easily." Erik said, raising his hand. The buttons shot forward, burying themselves into the back of Shaw's neck.

The man stumbled forward in surprise, lifting his hand to brush against the back of his neck. He titled his head and laughed again, his hand falling back to his side, completely clean. Erik stared at him in shock, trying to figure out why the man was still standing, why there was no blood.

"Oh, didn't you know?" Shaw asked, turning to show his neck completely unscathed. "I'm just like you, Erik. We're two of the same."

"No…"

"Oh yes." Shaw hummed, shaking out his hands and turning to Charles. The boy tried to pull away, shooting Erik a helpless look.

"So, Erik. You've managed to upset me once again." Shaw sighed, gesturing for Azazel to move over to the window. "And do you remember what I said we'd do if you tried anything again?"

Erik followed behind, watching with uncertainty as Azazel dragged Charles over to the window. He caught the look in Charles' eyes, but didn't dare move closer. Not yet.

"I really didn't want to do this, Erik. I don't like hurting those with such promise." Shaw turned back to the man, frowning. He shook himself out, and Erik noticed a slight haze around the man's fingers. "But you've left me with no choice. If you're going to keep getting in the way, I'm going to have to get rid of you. Azazel, take Charles out of the room please. He doesn't need to see this."

Erik's attention drifted from Shaw's hands to Charles, who was now tugging frantically at his arm, trying to pull free of Azazel's grip. He tried to tell the boy to stop, that he would be fine, but the words never left his mouth. Before anyone could react, Charles chomped down onto Azazel's hand. He tore free when the mutant released him with a surprised shout.

Shaw turned at the noise, raising an arm to push Charles back as the boy launched himself forward. Erik watched in horror as the haze that had been around Shaw's fingers manifested itself into a bright explosion. The light connected with Charles' chest and sent the boy flying backwards.

"Charles!" Erik shouted, pushing past Shaw and bolting to try and catch the boy. He froze and watched as the window shattered. Charles managing to let out a final, panicked scream of " _Erik!_ " before he was gone, plummeting to the river below.

Erik didn't hesitate before making the jump out of the window himself, not caring about what happened to Shaw or Azazel.

All that mattered now was finding Charles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Holy crap I'm so sorry it took me almost two months to get this out. I started college and well...let's just say I did not realize it would be this difficult. Sorry for the delay, and hopefully the next chapter (chapters?) should be up with less of a delay...   
> Also, to the lovely person who said they'd be willing to beta, I'm actually almost done with this fic. I have one, maybe two more chapters left to write.


	12. Farewell

Shaw lingered by the window, staring out at the water with a scowl. Azazael stood behind him, tail lashing angrily.

“Should I go get them?” He asked, turning his attention to the man still glaring out the window.

“No, no don’t bother. The boy’s as good as dead and so are we once Erik figures that out.” Shaw muttered, finally turning away from the window and walking quickly to the door. “Go find Emma, tell her what happened and then we need to go.”

“What about the American?”

“Leave her here. They’ll find her soon enough and send her home.”

Azazel frowned slightly but nodded, disappearing in a flash of red smoke a moment later. Shaw paused in the doorway once he was sure he was alone, looking back to the shattered window and shaking his head with a scowl. He should have known something would go wrong. Even so, he and the others needed to get out. It was only a matter of time before Erik found the boy’s body and was out for blood…again. With a soft curse, Shaw turned and hurried down the hall, gathering the few things he knew they’d need once they fled from the vengeful mutant.

00o00

The moment he hit the water he was frantically searching, ignoring the burning in his eyes from whatever the hell had been thrown into the river recently. There were more important things to focus on. He pushed himself to the surface, spitting out water and grime and frantically searching the filthy water for any sign of the boy.

“Charles!” He called out, spinning in place and fighting to keep himself above the water. “Charles!” He shouted again before the water drew him under. He struggled back to the surface, catching sight of something near the edges of the river. He frantically kicked towards it, sputtering and cursing as the water threatened to pull him under once again.

A flash of colour a little ways off caught his eye, and he immediately swam towards it. As he got nearer to the shape, he could see clearly that it wasn’t another piece of debris, but a coat floating atop the water. He stopped in front of it, grabbing the fabric and cursing. It was Charles’ jacket, but the boy was still nowhere in sight. He felt something grab hold of his leg and before he had the chance to breathe was pulled under the water.

He struggled against the grip, coming up again and yanking off what had grabbed hold of his ankle, hauling it to the surface and getting ready to toss it away. He stopped himself when a mess of dark brown hair broke the surface, Charles gagging and coughing out water. Erik’s eyes widened and he immediately began kicking back to the shore, resting Charles against his chest and trying to calm the frantic child. The boy could not be consoled though, his eyes screwed shut and pained sobs racking his small form.

Erik struggled to get them both ashore, cradling Charles close to his chest as he fell to his knees in the shallows.

“Charles…Charles, look at me.” He gasped, shaking his head to try and get the water out of his eyes. The boy’s eyes fluttered open, the blues of his irises standing out against the sharp red of the rest of his eyes.

“It h-hurts…” He whimpered, fingers tightly gripping Erik’s soaked jacket. The man frowned and lay Charles down, flinching back as the boy cried out in pain. Erik’s eyes searched frantically over the boy’s body, searching for any sign of injury.

“Charles, please calm down.” He murmured, feeling a faint buzzing at the back of his head. Charles didn’t seem to respond, body going ridged and chest rising and falling sharply. Erik placed a gentle hand on the boy’s shoulder, frowning in concern.

“Charles?” He said, moving to pick up the boy. As he was lifted, Charles lashed out with a pained scream, falling back to the ground as Erik stumbled back, the faint buzzing exploding as though he’d been hit in the back of the head. He staggered back and fell to his knees once more, hands cupping the side of his head. He fell to his side, the world blurring in and out of focus even as he fought to stay awake.

The last thing he saw before blacking out was a pair of feet racing towards them and a woman’s voice calling out.

_“Erik! Charles!”_

00o00

The steady beeping of a clock roused him from his sleep. He groaned softly and reached out of bed, fumbling to stop the source of the sound. When his fingers met nothing, he scowled and clenched his fist, smirking at the satisfying crunch of metal. A woman’s surprised squeak confused him, and he forced his eyes open, squinting against the harsh white walls that greeted him.

He looked around with a frown, eyes widening slightly when he noticed Moira sitting in the corner, staring at the crumpled clock that lay on the floor in front of her.

“Sorry…” Erik murmured, struggling to sit up. Moira looked up and shook her head, managing a weak smile. She stooped down and picked up the clock, tucking it away into her bag.

“Wouldn’t want anyone to see that.” She said, walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. “How are you feeling? You had a bit of a nasty fall from what I heard.”

Erik shrugged, looking down at himself. Nothing appeared to be broken, and the only damage he could make out were a few scratches along his arms. Even the pain in his head was gone…

He sat up quickly and looked across to Moira, eyes widening in a panic.

“Charles. Where is he?” He demanded, leaning forward. Moira took a step back and lowered her gaze, clearing her throat and shrugging.

“I-I don’t know.” She replied hesitantly, refusing to return Erik’s frantic and searching gaze. “They were still working on him when I last checked. They may have moved him…” She trailed off, finally looking up to Erik and shying away from his doubtful gaze.

“Erik, please. I don’t know much more than you do.”

“But you _do_ know more.” Erik pointed out, watching her closely. Moira opened her mouth to protest, then after a moment’s thought closed it and sighed.

“He’s expected to live, but that’s all I know.” She said, jumping as a nurse appeared in the doorway, clearing her throat.

“Miss, there’s someone on the lobby phone for you.” The young woman said, looking nervously between the two. Erik watched Moira a moment longer before sighing and laying back again, letting his eyes drift closed. Moira hesitated a moment before hurrying off after the nurse.

Erik lay in the bed for several moments, being sure that Moira wouldn’t return before he pushed himself up and hurried to change out of the hospital gown and into his now dry – albeit somewhat stiff – clothing. He moved down the hall, casually looking into each room that he passed.

It was several halls and a flight of stairs later before he finally found what he was looking for. He pushed the door open slowly, eyes on the still form in the bed. He closed the door quickly behind him and carefully approached the bed, worried that if he moved too quickly the boy would be gone again.

Charles lay unnaturally still, his chest rising and falling slowly with even breaths. Erik settled into the empty chair by the boy’s bedside and sat in silence for a moment, just watching the boy breath. After a moment he reached over and placed a gentle hand on Charles’ shoulder. The boy jerked awake, looking around with a panicked expression.

“Charles, Charles relax.” Erik said quickly. The boy took a moment to calm down, his eyes eventually settling on Erik. He sagged back into the bed and stared at the ceiling, silent even as Erik waited for him to speak. When the boy remained silent, Erik’s expression fell and he tilted his head.

“Charles…What’s wrong?” He asked, pulling the chair closer to the bed. Charles turned away and shook his head, tears brimming in his eyes. Erik pushed himself out of the chair and settled carefully on the edge of Charles’ bed, hand resting on the boy’s shoulder.

“Charles….”

“I can’t move my legs.” The boy interrupted, voice quick and pained.

“I-I’m sorry?”

“I can’t move my legs! The doctor said it was because of the fall.” Charles said, looking up to Erik with wide eyes. The man sat in stunned silence, staring down at Charles. He could feel the rage boiling in his chest, but he forced it back for Charles’ sake. The last thing the child needed was to see him in a rage.

Erik was about to speak when the door swung open, causing both him and Charles to jump. He stood quickly and hovered over the boy, eyes hard before he realized who stood in the doorway.

“You shouldn’t be out of bed.” Moira said, the doctor hovering worriedly over her shoulder. She turned and murmured something to the man, who seemed reluctant to leave the three of them one their own. Never the less he turned and hurried down the hall, muttering crossly under his breath despite himself. Erik scowled and turned away, focusing his attention back on the increasingly upset child beside him.

“You could have told me.” He muttered, the words directed at Moira.

“I know you, Erik. You would have gone off right away.” She said.

“You know _nothing_ about me.” Erik snarled, though he had to admit she was right. Never out loud though. He smoothed a hand through Charles’ hair, sighing heavily as the boy leaned up into the touch.

“I’ll only be a few days…I’m sure I know where he went.” He said, looking up to Moira. She seemed to hesitate, shuffling uncertainly. Erik narrowed his eyes and stood, not straying far from Charles’ bedside.

“You’re keeping something else from me.” He said slowly, eyes never leaving Moira’s face. She managed to hold his gaze for a moment before sighing.

“We…we’ve managed to find some distant relatives of Charles’. He’s going to be going to live with them.”

“And where are these relatives?”

Moira hesitated a moment before speaking.

“America.”

Erik’s eyes widened and he looked down to Charles. This seemed to be news to the boy as well, who shook his head stubbornly.

“I don’t want to go to America! I want to go with Erik.”

“Charles, it isn’t safe for you to go with him. It never really was.” Moira said, shooting Erik a pointed glance before returning her gaze to the boy. “You’ll be here for a couple more days. We have to wait for the doctor’s okay before we even think about getting you onto a boat.”

“So I have time…” Erik murmured.

“Pardon?” Moira asked, looking up with a frown. Erik blinked and looked to her, straightening up but not yet moving from Charles’ side.

“I have time to find him and make him pay.”

“Find him? Erik, who are you…Oh.” Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “I mean I can’t stop you but…” She trailed off and sighed heavily.

“There is no ‘but’.” Erik said firmly, turning away from her and kneeling beside Charles. The boy looked up with wide eyes, torn halfway between crying and smiling.

“I’ll be back before you leave, I promise.” He said, managing a small smile.

“But what if you aren’t?” Charles asked, sniffling softly despite his attempts to keep a strong façade.

“Well then I’ll just have to find my own way over there.” Erik said, ruffling Charles’ hair gently. Moira cleared her throat and looked down.

“I don’t think his aunt and uncle would be too happy with you moving in.”

“I never said I would move in with them.” Erik said with a frown. “Charles is going to want someone around who’s like him. We’ve both been alone for far too long…”

Moira sighed and nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose. “You have a week at most.”

Erik nodded and once again looked away from her, focusing on Charles once more. The boy looked up at him with wide eyes, tears once more threatening to spill down his cheeks.

“You’ll be back, right?” He asked, holding out his arms. Erik smiled faintly and nodded, pulling the boy into a careful embrace.

“Of course.”

“And you’ll be careful?” Charles asked, looking up with wide eyes. They both now knew what Shaw and his associates where capable of.

“I can’t promise anything, but I’ll do my best.” Erik said, realizing he was wasting precious time reassuring Charles. While it pained him to push away, he stood and ruffled Charles’ hair fondly.

“Moira will take care of you while I’m gone.” He said, glancing to the woman for a moment. He wasn’t too happy leaving Charles with her, but he had no other choice.

He finally managed to tear himself from the bed, walking to the door and pausing. He looked over his shoulder, watching the two. He seemed like he was about to speak, but changed his mind at the last moment and turned away.

“Take care of yourselves.” He said, voice tight. Without waiting for a response, he stepped out of the room and quickly shut the door behind himself. He took a moment to collect himself in the hall, out of sight from both Charles and Moira before he headed out.

Shaw was going to pay for everything that he’d done, even if it was the last thing Erik managed to do.


	13. Epilogue

**_Explosion in North Side of London with Two Casualties. Causes Unknown._ **

_The city of London was jolted awake today by a massive explosion in the North side of the city. The explosion took place in one of the abandoned ammunition factories, though reports say that there was no live ammunition left in the building after it had been cleared out after the end of the war._

_After fighting the blaze resulting from the explosion, the remains of two adults were pulled from the wreckage. Police are working to identify the two bodies, but it could take some time as the damage to the corpses was extensive._

_Anyone with any information as to what may have occurred here is requested to come forward to police. So far no one has come forward, and police are still searching for the possible cause of this explosion._

_Further details to come in a later issue._

Moira looked down at the paper in her hands, re-reading the same line several times. _“…the remains of two adults…”_

“What am I supposed to tell Charles?” She muttered to herself, folding the paper and tucking away the dread for the time being. Charles sat in the next room over, still trying to get himself used to the wheelchair that the doctor had given him. Moira didn’t yet have the heart to go next door and share the news, but she also knew that she couldn’t wait until they were leaving to tell him. Either way, the news would not be easy to break.

“Moira? I’m stuck…” A soft voice came from the other room. Moira shook herself from her thoughts, deciding she’d figure everything out later. She hurried next door, smiling gently when she came across Charles with one of his wheels caught on the edge of a table. He struggled to free himself, looking up with a helpless expression.

“I don’t like this.” He muttered, resting his hands in his lap as Moira carefully moved the chair away from the table.

“It’s going to take some time to get used to, but I’m sure you’ll figure it out in no time.”

Charles didn’t respond, but Moira could tell from his expression that he didn’t quite believe her. She sighed softly and turned away, the paper still in her hands. Charles turned to look up at her, seemingly about to ask something when his eyes fell on the paper. He tilted his head to read the headline, eyes widening slightly.

“An explosion?” He asked, looking up with a frown. Moira blinked and looked down, quickly putting the paper behind her back.

“Don’t worry about that, Charles. It’s nothing important.” She said, forcing a tight smile onto her face. Charles frowned and opened his mouth to protest, but was interrupted by a knock at their door. Moira sighed heavily and hurried off, tossing the newspaper as she went.

“Yes, what can I do for you?” She asked, opening the door.

“Good, you’re still here. I thought you would have left by now.”

Moira blinked and looked up, her eyes widening in surprise.

“You…but didn’t you?”

Erik smirked and pushed past her, shaking his head. “No. Shaw and Azazel.” He hummed, looking around before starting down the hall. Moira shook herself out of her thoughts and hurried behind him, smiling despite herself.

Charles, having heard them coming had turned his chair and was watching the door closely. Erik pushed the door open and paused, expression falling slightly as he saw Charles in the chair. His somber mood was quickly pushed away as the boy grinned and wheeled himself forward, nearly running Erik over in his excitement.

“You’re back!”

“Of course I am. I said I would be, didn’t I?” Erik asked with a chuckle, stooping down to ruffle the boy’s hair. Charles grinned broadly and nodded, babbling excitedly at Erik.

Moira lingered in the doorway for a moment, watching the two before turning and heading off to find a phone to try and get a third ticket to America.

 

_Fin_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey...hey guess what...
> 
> I FINISHED IT
> 
> I just wanted to thank everyone who read and commented and everything. It really means a lot reading your comments and seeing the kudos and everything so...
> 
> Thanks everyone!


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